Scarier Monsters
by TattoosOnTattoos
Summary: Riddick - he's big, he's mean, he's trapped on a desert planet with all manner of hazards and alien creatures ready to kill him. Joy! With him is a crew of survivors including an energy reaper with her own agenda and sweet skills. When the lights go out they all must work together to escape this hellish world...and all they've got to drink is booze. Follows PB to some extent. RxOC
1. Chapter One

When the cryo-technicians had strapped me into my sleeping pod back on Aquila Major they mentioned in thick accents that animals couldn't sleep during transport. With their black, probing eyes on my slender figure they said no matter how strong the cryo-anesthesia was they just wouldn't shut down. Most of the time any animal transports had to be sedated in their pods. I had raised an eyebrow at this – did my appearance somehow categorize me as animal? A robed technician had snickered and said it was only my eyes. Said the primitive side never slept and I was facing a long journey.

Now, three days into the excursion, I scoffed under the red glow of the light above me. I guess it was true—I was wide awake and bored out of my mind. I had never travelled cryo before. Preferred to keep awake in case anything went wrong. This situation seemed perfect for my luck; while everyone else seemed comfortably dowsed in slumber I was awake to the point of frustration. You'd think they'd have backups for this kind of thing. Or at least a magazine.

I looked at my reflection in the glass door of the pod. My bright yellow eyes stared back at me unblinking and glowing. Under stress they always seemed to shine more than normal. A curtain of shoulder-length auburn hair framed my pallid face, ending in a short pixie at the back. Low maintenance, baby. I lifted a lip at my complexion; I looked dead. I needed energy.

Reapers like me were a secretive species that needed fresh energy every few days to support the delicate balance within our bodies. Operating half in the physical realm and half in the energetic spirit one, we needed constant sources to keep us firmly planted in both worlds. Humanoids happened to work perfectly for us.

Snorting at my boredom I looked past my reflection and out into the chamber beyond.

Thirty-two passengers were on board the Hunter-Gratzner, a cargo ship destined for New Mecca. When I first learned my trip was to be taken in the ass of a shit carrier I was tempted to try another way home, but the rest of the ships available were full of mercs and I didn't run with scum. My only other option was an actual passenger cruiser but I sure as shit wasn't stepping foot on one of those. The cost of the seat alone could almost pay for my own land-glider but that was beside the point– the thought of rubbing noses with the wealthy and elite made me gag.

More like a metal tube than a starship, the carrier boasted eight sections. Six were stocked full of cargo – I didn't know what the goods were. Passengers didn't need to know. Probably precious metals or pretty lingerie or some shit. The seat was cheap and came with no questions asked and that was fine with me. The other two sections were stocked full of passengers.

The section I was in was at the back of the ship and the smallest. Sixteen cryo-tubes were stationed side by side, each with a single occupant, but I could see only twelve. I had memorized most of their faces already. A dark-skinned holy man was just in view to my left. A delicate pair of spectacles teetered on the edge of his nose above a bristly black beard and his face held a strong countenance that was also humble. Wrapped in a white cotton robe and black turban, he was the very picture of piety. His scent was musky incense and his three boys smelled similar. I wondered at the contrasts of our lives; what were their gods like? Did they fear them? Were they merciful? We reapers adhered to no god, choosing to rely only on the energies within ourselves to show us our paths.

To my right was a woman with long brown hair. Dressed in a leather belt and boots, she looked the prospector type and smelled faintly of sweat and lavender. She and the man beside her were married; matching silver bands adorned their fingers and they had shared a sweet goodbye before the technicians put them to sleep. Their scents mingled and sometimes it even seemed they breathed in unison. To be intimate with someone like that was something I had always yearned for but human males, attractive as they were, were simply too delicate.

I fixed my eyes on the man stationed next to the woman's husband. This one made my eyes narrow from the moment I saw him. He was a merc; that much was obvious. A baton and taser were belted to his hips along with two plasma guns. A bulletproof vest hugged his lean torso. No one needed that much heat unless they were prepared to use it and he fit the profile beautifully. His features were arranged handsomely but there was an underlying darkness to his good looks. A mixture of sweat and adrenaline flowered from his skin, making my palms sweat. I could tell he was having intense dreams and had been doing so since we left the planet. His rapid eye movement and bodily twitches were consistent signs of stressful slumber. I pegged him for a junkie – no one sweats like that just standing up, and the shakes were a dead giveaway. What a perfect package. I hoped never to meet him. In my experience all mercs were devious assholes and I supposed he had to be; his cargo was more dangerous than he was.

Directly across from me was a large glass case with the words NO EARLY RELEASE stamped across the door in bold white lettering. From the moment they had strapped us in curiosity had gripped me about that particular pod. It was already closed and locked when we were put to sleep, its occupant already supposedly out cold. This pod was larger than the rest and made of thick metal with a shatterproof glass panel. I had seen cells like this on other ships, made for holding serious criminals on their way to slam. Yet another reason why this seat was so damned cheap.

The large figure restrained within was huge. Fighter's arms, tanned and heavy, were chained to the walls on either side of him and every now and then a muscle would tense with the ship's movement. My eyes caught every motion. A black cloth was tied around his eyes. Sometimes I thought I could see a flicker of silver from behind a small rip in the fabric but I couldn't be sure. A metal bit was between his teeth. Kinky.

I had been observing him from the moment we took off. His sheer size was impressive; being an energy reaper I had immediately deduced that his build was perfect for the feeding process but what chance would I ever get to sample his raw energy? His scent was dark and musky, with an underlying spice that made my mouth water. Even separated by glass cases my body was responding to him at the thought of reaping his energy. Along with other things.

I sighed in frustration. He hardly moved, but I knew he was just as awake as I was. His breathing was not that of a sleeping person but steady, controlled. What really intrigued me was that he knew that I was awake, too. Like this moment, I could tell he was looking back at me with an unwavering stare. Probably was waiting for the perfect moment to kill me if ever the chance arose. The thought made me grin. Let him try.

These straps were getting really fucking annoying. I had begun to struggle out of sheer frustration again when a whistling sounded through the chamber and one of the pods to my left was suddenly bombarded with shooting bits of metal the size of bullets. I heard smashing glass and the hiss of steam under pressure. A loud siren began to go off and a red light began flashing in the center of the room.

I instantly feared for the holy man and his children but they weren't the ones hit. The man who had occupied the destroyed pod was dead and obviously so; blood was spattered on the inside of the cell and a loud beeping flat line had begun. His head hung limply on his shoulder. In my panic I managed to utter a quick prayer for him and was silently glad he wasn't one of the faces I had memorized.

There was suddenly a huge jolt and a terrible deep mechanical groan and I felt the ship begin to plummet downward at a terrifying angle. My heart shot up into my throat and I resisted the urge to scream. The shaking was incredible. I deduced that at the rate of deceleration the ship had entered the atmosphere of a planet. Fear flew through my body like a drug; at this continued velocity we wouldn't stand a chance landing on any terrain.

I looked out into the shaking chamber—I could see people becoming awake inside their own pods, panicking and looking fearful. Everyone's red light was flickering. Cryo-support was shutting down in the rapidly spinning craft. The only figure who hadn't yet moved during this ordeal was the convict across from me; he hadn't done so much as raise his head but every muscle was taut. I didn't have time to stare at him though, for at that moment the right side of the hull, with a deafening screech of metal, was pulled away to reveal the blinding light of day.

I could see an orange horizon beyond and realized that we were seconds away from hitting the ground. My heart dropped into my stomach and I couldn't help but scream as I felt the ship fly apart like a dandelion in a breeze. The impact of hitting the ground resounded only a moment later, a jerking crash that sent me colliding painfully with the glass door of my pod despite the straps that held me in place. A few more seconds passed where I knew that the ship was scraping against the face of the planet like a matchstick and I could only hope that there would be no climactic explosion when it stopped.

When I could take no more of the ear-splitting shriek of metal against rock, what was left of the ship shuddered to a halt. I stayed curled around myself a moment before I was convinced that the ship wasn't going to move anymore. I hesitantly opened my eyes and blinked at the sight of the spider-web shatter pattern that was all that remained of my pod door. At the moment I didn't think that I was hurt. My limbs were all still there and there was no visible blood. However I slowly realized that the thick fabric straps of the pod were still keeping me in place but felt much too tight. The metal wall behind me had caved in and was exerting tremendous pressure from behind.

Spots of light flashed in front of my eyes as I struggled to stay conscious. The sounds of distant screams and shouts filled my head and I wanted to help, but I couldn't move. _Shit, is this how it ends, here on this fucking rando planet in a shipwreck?_ I bared my teeth at my shattered reflection and saw the yellow of my eyes glow a little brighter. _Fuck that!_ I started struggling again. Pain blossomed in my chest; the main strap holding me in place was slowly crushing my ribcage. Breaths were coming with difficulty and I felt like I was drowning in open air. My vision grew fuzzy and the sounds around me started fading.

 _It's really not so bad…_


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Suddenly the broken glass door was pulled away with a muffled metallic screeching. A pair of bright blue eyes swam into view and a voice said something I couldn't understand. I was hanging listless in my binds. A blade flashed in front of my face and I snarled weakly in defense. Another incomprehensible murmur from blue-eyes. Then suddenly the straps were gone and my chest was bursting free. I fell heavily onto the metal grate below in an ungraceful heap and gasped like a fish out of water. Oxygen soared into my lungs and reawakened my sluggish head, making me think what a fucking dick this guy was for letting me fall on the floor. He cuts me loose and then leaves me? I had two guesses who it might be.

"You're welcome sunshine," a close voice drawled. Growling at the merc's callousness, I turned to face him. He had already turned away from me and was inspecting the convict's cell. Talk about humanitarian.

The cryosection area was intact save for its walls which were gaping wide to the bright hot world beyond. Over half of the passenger pods were devastated, their unlucky hosts still encased within. Most were splattered with blood. Shock and sadness numbed the ache in my chest as I saw how many had perished.

The merc seemed unmoved by the destruction and seemed only intent on making sure the lockdown pod was secure. A strange relief tingled through me when I realized the convict had survived the crash and was looking haughty and tense as ever.

"You could at least help me up," I shot at him, anger and shock making my voice sharp. Grumbling darkly, the merc strode over and roughly hoisted me up by the arm. I hissed at the pain in my ribs. This guy really was a piece of work.

"Maybe next time I won't be so happy to save your skin, _reaper_ ," he said lowly, blue eyes boring into mine. "I could have left you to rot in that pod but," he gestured around the ruined cabin to the few passengers who were still helping each other, "there are witnesses, so I'm playing good cop for now in this shit situation. Don't forget that sweetheart cause to me, another dead reaper is something to celebrate."

I glared back at him with venomous eyes. I would have gladly siphoned the energy from his body until he was no more than a twitching husk on the ground but like it or not, he did save my life. The fact that he would have preferred not to merely proved he was a heartless bastard who deserved to be locked up instead of his cargo.

"I don't need help from a fucking merc anyway," I growled, trying not to breathe in too deeply. Energy trailed over his skin in a smoke-like aura and down through my arm where he was holding me. It invaded my body and I suppressed a groan. Despite my hatred for him I needed to feed and it would feel _so_ good. He chuckled low and leaned in closer, enjoying himself. Goddamn. Feeling his life force made me weak and I was about to persuade him somewhere private where I could have a few moments alone with him when I caught the eye of the convict over the merc's shoulder.

One shining violet eye was staring right into mine through the cracked glass of his cell, hunger written all over his face. Heat rose in my cheeks as my delicate hearing picked up his breathing and heart rate; it had increased ever since the merc had touched me. The thought sent a shiver down my body and I pulled my arm out of his tight grip.

"You'd better keep an eye on your payday. Doesn't seem like he likes you very much, _merc_." I said the word as if it were synonymous with shit.

"That's Johns to you, sweetheart," he said before turning back to the convict's cell. "And that's not his issue," he said darkly, nodding to the hulking figure. I shivered; I could still feel his hidden eyes on me. "Murdered five men in cold blood then hijacked a skiff to go system hopping. That dangerous enough for you? He was halfway to Trillion before I caught up with him. This one's different, kitty. I want you to know that. Keep your paws away from him."

"It's Xen," I scowled darkly. "And don't think you can tell me what to do. You've got your own problems to worry about." I hoped he wasn't going to hurt the convict but it wasn't my business to intervene; add on to the fact that my ribs were bruised I was in no condition for any altercation. I silently exited the wasted section of the ship and out into the scorching desert beyond.

XXX

Instantly the light blinded me and I hissed, shading my eyes with my arm. I couldn't believe the heat; I had been to planets where their sun circled close and hot but as I raised my eyes to the sky I saw that this planet boasted three. A small blue hovered close to the horizon at my back while its sister, a red beauty, lay low at the horizon before me. Their huge yellow brother, a behemoth of a star, hung high in the sky above my head, pouring waves of heat down like searing water.

The landscape was stark and lifeless. A barren desert stretched as far as I could see, interrupted only by sparse hills and tall mounds of rock that resembled termite structures of earth. A ridge of small mountains lay to my right, their feet hazy from the heat. Behind me a dark streak of debris and wreckage was scratched on the surface of the planet like a smudge of charcoal. My eyes had never beheld such devastation and I dropped to my knee to say a prayer for those who had been lost.

To my surprise a man wearing a white robe walked around the corner and kneeled beside me.

"In my experience," the holy man said, his kind eyes twinkling at me, "praying with a stranger now makes for a friend later." He then bowed his head to the sand below and touched his turban to the ground. Tears sprang to my eyes at the sight of him; I was so happy that he survived, even though I didn't even know his name. I closed my eyes again and joined him in finishing the prayer.

xxxx

A small crowd had gathered on the hot sand beside the debris of the totaled ship. There were half a dozen survivors, tending wounds and offering what comfort they could to each other, trying to work out what had happened. They looked a little worse for wear – clothing was torn and bloodied, faces were dirty, hair was askew. But they were alive. Imam, as he had introduced himself to me, led me into the group.

Heads turned at my strange eyes and lithe figure but I was used to that. Reapers were used to being looked at. The prospector pair introduced themselves as Shazza and Zeke. They both had Australian accents which told me they were from Earth, but they were headed for New Mecca to start a new life away from the planet's constraining government. Their seats on the Hunter-Gratzner were the only way they could safely get off-world, but now they were crash-landed on one that was decidedly more hostile.

A fourteen year old boy by the name of Jack was an energetic kid and had spirit. A hopeful stowaway, he had hidden in the storage compartments behind the cryopods with nothing but the clothes on his back and the wits in his head. He had something else though, a secret he was desperately trying to hide from the others. I knew immediately; not just from his oddly effeminate eyes and mannerisms but the way he smelled; he was definitely a she. I was curious at the reason for this deception but hardly cared enough to do anything about it at the moment. Her secret would be safe with me for now.

A quirky librarian type by the name of Paris was anxiously looking around as though help would suddenly spring from the sand. Draped in what looked like maroon house curtains, he claimed to be an antiquities dealer and was transporting goods to New Mecca for trade. His receding hairline and slight frame didn't put much faith in my hopes for his survival, and his stuttering talk regarding our rescue was already annoying me.

Imam was just about to introduce his three boys when a distant scream sounded, carried by the hot wind. It was coming from inside the wreckage, another section that lay about a hundred yards from where we were gathered.

"It's another survivor!" Jack yelled, hurrying to her feet. I stopped her from running to the ship.

"No! It might be, but it also might be dangerous. I'll go. I wouldn't be surprised if Johns heard it too and wants to check it out."

"Just be careful," Shazza said, stepping forward with serious eyes. "If Riddick escaped you won't stand a chance."

"Riddick?" I paused. Shazza smirked and put her hand on her hip.

"You've never heard of Riddick? That's your convict in there. He's only the most wanted man in the system. He's– "

"The biggest badass ever," Jack finished with an air of admiration. Shazza shot her a look of reproach.

"I don't think any of us stand much of a chance here anyway," I dismissed. "With or without Riddick. But I'll be careful."

I turned and started racing towards the ship. If someone was still alive in there I would do everything I could to try and help them. My face contorted into a snarl; I wasn't like Johns, and from what I sensed from the convict, neither was he. I had done things in my life I should be paying for, but I didn't believe they made me an evil person. I did what I needed to do. I believed John's payday was the same.

As I approached the decimated craft I sensed both blood and energy clinging to the air like an invisible fog. Shivers rolled through my body as I approached the entrance to the section, a huge gash of rippled metal that reached nearly fifteen feet. I ducked under low hanging wires and avoided the sparking ones on the metal grate floor. The scream came again, crisp and close. It was the wail of a dying creature.

Turning the corner I saw the full scene like a horrible postcard photo.

A man, crewmember by the looks of his uniform, was lying impaled on the floor. He was slick with blood. A sharp metal rod was sticking three feet up into the air through his chest, glistening red. A woman with short blonde hair was with him, covered in his blood and trying to help him. She reached to grab the metal rod but the man screamed in agony.

"Don't you touch that handle!" Blood ran in rivulets down his chin. His eyes were wide and panicked and his face was devoid of color. Death and gore never seemed to faze me and I was grateful of that seeing the poor man's condition. I could feel the energy sapping out of him from the wound in his chest. It positively flowed from his being like weightless water, water no one could see. It wouldn't be long before he would be dead. The blonde looked around desperately for something and spotted me behind her.

"You! In the back section of the ship there's a first aid kit, there should be morphine –"

"Not anymore there's not, I'm sorry," I said, walking forward and crouching beside the dying man. He wheezed air through bloody teeth, the last he was going to take. "I was in the back section and everything's been blown away."

The blonde fixed me with wide pleading eyes.

"You're telling me there's nothing we can do for him?"

"I didn't say that. But if you allow me, I can ensure his death is painless. You know what I am…Frye," I said, reading the name sewn into her ship uniform. She was obviously another member of the crew and knew the man. Her eyes raked over my own yellow ones and strong, lean form. She also knew I was a reaper.

"No pain," she whispered to me. I nodded and touched her shoulder briefly before she stood up and gave the man one last look before departing the section of the ship on unsteady feet. The crewman seemed to know it was going to be over soon; he didn't say anything but looked at me with eyes that could already see their fate.

"This will not hurt," I promised quietly. He gave a jerking nod and let his head fall back; he was very aware of reapers as well, and knew the process. Avoiding the metal spike in his chest I gently gripped the sides of his neck with my hands. His skin was slippery with blood and it oozed through my fingers, warm and sticky. He gasped and twitched but I sent out tendrils of calming energy that soothed his pain.

"Shhh…" I began pulling the remaining energy from his body into myself. Through my hands and up my arms it flowed, warm and powerful even as it left its dying host. I sighed deeply as it worked its way through my body, healing my wounds from the crash and filling me with power. Owens, as I read on his shirt, had closed his eyes with a faint breath as I began and hadn't opened them. The pain left him along with his remaining life force, the only gift I could give while helping myself at the same time.

I pulled until no more energy came and his skin grew cold, becoming ashy and sunken. I released him and stood up, the familiar rush sending electrical tingles throughout my body. My eyes burned like hot coals and saw their yellow reflection in the metal wall opposite me, inhuman and fierce. I felt better, stronger, alive.

Not forgetting my place, I dropped to one knee and said a prayer of gratitude and appreciation for the man who gave his remaining life to me. He had allowed me to live further into this chaotic situation, and hopefully it would still end with everyone returning home.

A sudden metallic banging caught my attention and I straightened warily. My senses were on high alert, maxed out. If there was any danger I would sense it from a mile away. The sound was coming in the direction ahead of me, just around the corner. The corridor I had entered was silent and I sensed no one. Wires sparked in the corner but that was the only movement.

Leaving the macabre scene behind me, I turned the corner and the banging sounded again. Closer this time. It was to my right, within a collapsed section of the ship. Sounded like someone was trying to bang their way out using a wrench. A large metal shard had sliced through the section, turning it into two small rooms in which one was the source of the noise. It was a fragment of the hull and it bore part of the name of the ship. 'HUNTER' filled my view in huge faded red letters, slanted inwards with the R slightly hidden by debris.

I sensed the convict, Riddick, behind the huge metal piece. Fitting. His scent filled the area, dark and spicy, a mix of sweat and curiosity. He knew I was here.

Fearlessly I stepped around the shard into half-darkness. The small area was secluded and slants of sunlight were the only illumination. They streamed through gaps in the hull like spotlights. Wires and accordion tubes dangled like dead things from the ceiling, looking almost as if they were trying to reach the sunlight that pooled below. My footsteps were silent.

"Took you long enough to find me," he rumbled with a voice like low thunder. It filled me with an unknown electric pleasure, something no male human had ever managed to accomplish. I paused. Riddick was chained to a thick metal grate against the wall with both hands behind his back, arms bulging at the position. He was seated on a crate, looking huge in the small space. He had been banging his metal restraints against the wall behind him, apparently in attempt to catch my attention. Looked like it worked.

Johns had apparently taken his goggles for he wasn't wearing them - shining violet eyes appraised me as I entered and I felt more than heard his growl of regard. They followed my every move as I went further towards him into the area. His energy crackled around me, raising the hair on my arms. This guy was definitely not human.

As I got closer I could hear that his heart was beating at a steady rate deep within him, a concentrated drumming that merged with the swell and fall of his breaths. His tanned barrel-like chest expanded and contracted, the thick muscle beneath easily visible. It was almost hypnotizing. I used to listen to animals back at home like this. Any living creature in distress I could calm, just by being there. It remained quite a useful trick for humans and other emotional beings as well. Also made me a wicked poker player but that was beside the point.

It seemed to be working with Riddick; his dealings with Johns were no doubt stressful. Yet I hadn't said a word and in just a few moments his shoulders were relaxing and his posture opened up more to face me.

"No reaper has ever gotten this close to me," he said, his voice gravelly and deep. "Congratulations." Pleasure fluttered through again me as he said it. _God, this guy does this to me just by speaking? Shit_. Violet eyes shone up at me as I continued my slow approach. I stopped within arm's length and considered against getting closer.

"If you want me to say I'm afraid of you Riddick, it's not going to happen."

It was true; fear was a foreign emotion for me and his mind games weren't going to work. However despite my newly regained powers I was still a petite female in comparison to this imposing specimen and I wasn't about to encourage a confrontation.

Deep rolling laughter like a distant storm met my reply.

"You're definitely not scared. That either makes you smart or stupid. I wonder what's going on in your head right now," he murmured, tilting his own. "I couldn't help but overhear what was happening in the other room. Are you thinking of draining me dry like Owens? For the sake of the group it's not a bad idea, and I promise I'd last longer," he smirked knowingly. Warmth crept into my face at the way he said the word 'promise' and I struggled to conceal it.

"No. I just came to…I wanted to….just…" _Shit_ , I thought again. _Why the fuck_ was _I in here?_ The answer seemed apparent; freeing the convict was only fair. We were all crashed on this planet and restraining him seemed like adding insult to injury. I believed that if we were all going to get out of here alive we needed everyone at their full potential and not chained like animals. Safety in numbers and all that. Plus to do anything that would piss off Johns would make me happy and I smiled inwardly at the thought.

Low gravelly laughter filled the small area again.

"You plan on setting me free, don't you, Xen?"

 _Oh good, he caught my name._

"Only with the promise you won't hurt anyone if I do," I said with narrowed eyes. Knowing the promise of a murderer was built on sand, I was wary. The distance between us had lessened until I could almost reach out and touch him. He leaned forward as if that was what he wanted me to do, straining at his binds. A slant of sunlight caught the shine in his eyes and I was struck by their beauty.

"If they don't, I won't," he whispered simply. His eyes weren't lying.

I made the decision and like a wary animal, I slowly walked around him. Unblinking, his eyes followed me. Banishing the urge to gulp, I kneeled beside him and reached behind his back where the chains were secured. It wouldn't take long to free him, but I needed to get close. Astonished, I felt intense heat pouring off of him as well as his strong energy. The man was like a generator and my mouth had gone dry.

The bonds were thick metal bands around both wrists. Leaning in, I placed my hands over them and covered as much metal as I could. It was like leaning into a delicious fog and my head began to swim. My arm was against the hardness of his back; at my movement Riddick had become still but his head was turned towards me. He seemed to be taking deep, controlled breaths.

I couldn't resist inhaling deeply; he smelled of sweat, power, and earthy spice. It might have been my imagination but I heard a growl of pleasure from deep in his throat as I did so.

A tiny moan almost escaped my throat and I caught it with clenched teeth. This was getting bad; how could proximity alone dreg up such feelings? It could also be the hard muscle of his back, that too. This guy was unbelievably sexy.

I managed to concentrate the energy within me to my hands and then to the bonds. The metal glowed neon purple until it fell away from his wrists like sand. His hands flexed at the freedom and the movement trailed down the contours of his arms and I made the mistake of following it. He cracked his neck.

In an instant both of my own wrists were pinned behind my back and his huge warm body was pressing against mine. I yelped in surprise. This guy was _fast._ Through my own chest I felt the rumble of his laughter. His face was hovering over my own.

"I thought you'd be quicker than that," he said slyly, "but look at me making assumptions."

I struggled weakly and scolded myself for my stupidity but felt curiously powerless in his grip. That seemed to amuse him. He leaned down, trailing his nose down my jawline and inhaling luxuriously as he went. My body stiffened.

"I suppose I should thank you for setting me loose. Johns was right when he said I was dangerous…not that you should listen to him. But I've heard things under the sand, things you people don't even know about yet. I want you to remember this moment," his words got quieter as he leaned down to nuzzle under my ear, "the way things could have gone didn't. I might be the big bad wolf everyone's afraid of…but there are scarier monsters out there than me."

Then just as quick as it began, he was gone. The pressure and warmth of his body disappeared, leaving me somehow cold in the hot desert air. Breath I didn't know I was holding suddenly escaped my lungs in a whoosh and I slid down the metal slab to the sand below. The absence of his scent and energy left dull feeling in my stomach for some strange reason and my neck still tingled from where his lips had ghosted over my skin. My eyes raised to the slanted sunlight before me and I realized that this man was definitely going to be a problem.


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

The thirst hit me along with the blinding sun as I stepped out of the ruined ship. It crawled up my throat and into my mouth, making my head throb and my eyes glow brighter. Owens' energy was still fresh in my system and the surge from it was still cascading through me like a wonder drug, but I was _thirsty._ My duffel bag had been blown out of the ship during the crash, in which carried several water bottles and most of my clothes. Letting my head fall back to the hot suns, I let out a pitiful sigh. I had some great shorts in there.

The heat was amazing. Thick and dry but not humid, it was unmerciful and wicked away moisture like a thief. Being an energy reaper I was used to more autumnal climates, kind breezes and gentle rains. This temperature was simply suffocating. In a haze I walked around to where the survivors had gathered to decide what to do about our water situation and possible methods of escape.

"Okay, we have five water bottles and two canteens," Frye, now Captain of the ruined ship, counted inventory. Owens' blood had dried on her uniform and a detached numbness clung to her face. When she saw me approach a shadow passed over her eyes and she nodded with a significant look. In the most minute of gestures I nodded back.

Raking a hand through her short hair, she looked up at everyone. "Is this it? Does anyone else have any water?"

Everyone was silent but Paris, sporting a tattered parasol, made an awkward gesture like a nervous child answering a question.

"It's not water but I do have several bottles of, er, another option," his English stutter was tiresome but the words were hopeful. We all followed him to a section of the craft where a huge wooden sarcophagus lie, cracked but whole. An assembly of spear-like weapons was set up against the wall behind it, along with other old-looking antiques.

Imam and Paris worked to pry the lid off and revealed at least a dozen bottles of various liquids inside. Each was whole and surprisingly not cracked or leaking. Fanning himself with a dainty pocket fan, Paris waved an arm over the general assembly.

"You're welcome to them but I'm going to need a receipt. This was supposed to be for my personal supply."

Frye rolled her eyes, picking up a bottle of dark spiced rum.

"Booze? This is what you have? This will get us all drunk but it won't help our hydration in the long run," she remarked, unscrewing the cap and taking a swig anyway.

Paris shrugged a velvet shoulder.

"Well, it's this or dirt and I know which one I prefer," he muttered, grabbing four bottles and tucking them under his arm. Glancing at me, he handed me a slim bottle of rosey pink shiraz.

"That's from France, a lovely drop for lovely company," he said with a kind smile and a nod. "It's not every day one gets to meet a real…a real…"

"Reaper?" I accepted, surprised. The man may be irritating but his heart was in the right place. I hadn't known much kindness in my life besides other reapers, and I certainly didn't expect a human to enjoy meeting one. He smiled in apparent relief that I hadn't done anything more. I tipped the bottle to him in thanks and took a drink. Sweet and warm with a bite.

"This doesn't help you anyway," Frye nodded to Imam and his boys. They all smiled and agreed, seemingly not concerned.

"Unfortunately we are not permitted, especially during Hajj. But all deserts have water. One need only know where to look," Imam said with a white smile. "And those distant trees over in the hills, those look promising." He was standing at the entrance to the section with his hand shielding his eyes. Walking over to him I couldn't help but grin myself as I looked to my right. Huge sun-bleached sand hills rose into a small mountain away from us, ridged in what looked like a copse of white trees. I still doubted we would find adequate water anywhere on this planet, but the holy man carried much more wisdom and more years than I. Any lead was good as any, I guessed.

"Where there are trees there is water," Imam finished, his low voice calm and confident. His boys shouted with excitement and ran ahead of the group to start the trek to the hills. The group unanimously agreed and began to follow the boys.

I let them flow around me, wondering where Johns was. I hadn't seen him since our little interaction in the ruined passenger section and his absence was suspicious. Jack gave me a searching look as she passed but I smiled and urged her on with the others.

What if he realized his convict was no longer fixed to the wall and under his control? The sudden memory of Riddick's huge body pressing against my own rippled through me and a flash of worry for him bit at my nerves. What if Johns had caught up with him? That was definitely another option and those guns on his hips could do a lot of damage.

I turned to look at the wreckage we were leaving. It seemed abandoned. Nothing moved except wires swaying in the breeze. The sounds of the group faded as they traveled down a small incline.

Turning to rejoin them, I heard the click of a gun at the back of my head. Frustration filled my brain like a quick poison. Damn this heat! I should have known. The breeze carried with it Johns' now familiar scent and energy and scolded me for letting my guard down so easily. It tingled over my skin like electric currents. Bastard had snuck up on me from upwind and he was both pleased and pissed.

"I should ghost you right here right now," he drawled through clenched teeth. Low and dangerous, his voice slid through the air like venom. I could almost see his blue eyes narrowed. "Nothing stopping me."

"That doesn't seem like something a good cop would do," I said evenly over my shoulder. The end of the gun jutted against my skull and I hissed. I was no stranger to having various weaponry pressed to my head but I didn't enjoy it either. I also had better things to do than deal with this bloody merc.

"I'm not playing fucking games anymore reaper," he snarled. "It's no coincidence that you're the last one to exit the ship and then surprise surprise, Riddick escapes. I'm real good at putting two and two together, see?"

 _Riddick is still out there somewhere,_ the thought soaked through me like soothing rain. I turned slowly and faced Johns, the gun now at my forehead. Sweat pinpricked his face while his eyes, shrouded from the ball cap he was wearing, glared at me spitefully. There was a certain unsteadiness to his stance, making me curious. I noticed his grip wasn't as tight on his gun as it should have been, and as I continued to observe him there was a relaxed detachment that made me wonder if he hadn't just taken a hit.

"Well since you can't prove anything I might choose to lower your weapon," I suggested mildly. "Not that I couldn't get away from you if I wanted; you're high as hell."

John's face paled but he didn't flinch. "And have _two_ monsters to deal with? I'm awfully tempted to make this a hell of a lot easier on myself," He clicked the safety off. "Getting eleven people off this planet is easier than twelve."

"Should have left me to die in that pod then, Johns. How do you suppose everyone will react when they realize you just killed me? Kind of hard to pin that one on Riddick when you're the one with all the guns and shivs…and then who will want to help you? If you want to keep playing the good guy I wouldn't start by killing innocent women."

His face was a beautiful mixture of fury and working gears as he sorted out his situation. A bead of sweat ran down his temple. The heat was getting to him both mentally and physically; he still had the shakes. He must also have realized that murdering me in cold blood wasn't his best option for after a moment his blue eyes lost a touch of their intensity and he lowered the weapon. His hit made the movement clumsy but his regard was still dangerous.

"You'd best watch your back, little reaper. If Riddick decides to ghost you out you won't have me to save your pretty skin again," He shouldered his weapon and made it obvious as he looked me up and down. "And what pretty skin it is."

With a sickening smile he turned and headed off after the group. Scowling, I watched him go with a bad taste in my mouth and waited several minutes before following his hazy figure. I wanted as much distance as I could get between myself and him; I was quickly learning that this bloody merc was going to be a problem.

XXXX

"Is this whole planet dead?" Frye said softly, mostly to herself. We were standing in a line on the tall sand ridge overlooking a huge valley that spanned out in front of us for miles. It was a basin for bones, we came to realize. At the sight the group, myself very much included, were instantly hit with awe. The area was simply enormous. Huge animals had gathered here in the hundreds, apparently to die. Much larger than the elephants of earth, their backbones soared high above our heads like dead arms reaching to the three suns circling above. We had mistaken them for trees. Bleached white and scoured by years of wind and sand, I wondered how long they had been lying here, half-buried and forgotten. Frye's question echoed in my head.

The glowing suns continued their observations of us, their combined heat pressing on our shoulders and spirits as if wanting to take us to the ground. The water bottles had been dispersed through the group and hadn't lasted long; the two canteens had been given to Imam's boys and were almost empty as well. Frye was unscrewing the cap of the bottle of rum she was carrying again.

"There's a canyon over there, looks like there might be something on the other side," Johns voiced directly behind me, uncomfortably close. Ignoring the itch to punch him squarely in the face I looked to the right and saw it; the rocks formed two natural ridges where maybe five people could walk side by side comfortably. Laced with sharp rocks, the ridges were forty feet tall and looked treacherous. On the other side however, something large that gleamed in the sunlight could just be seen, something metallic.

"It could be a settlement area," Imam suggested. His boys agreed – on everything, it seemed – and laughed happily. It was possible; another ship could have dropped off its passengers and equipment and was either gone…or still here. While the possibility of equipment and technology remaining on a planet like this was legitimate the idea of any number of people surviving here for a lengthy period was questionable. They would have needed constant supply drops and a steady source of water. Why any group of settlers would choose this hot ball of hell to land on was beyond me but if we could use their shit to escape, home suddenly seemed a lot closer.

Scanning the area, I sensed Riddick. His scent was in the air but distant. I knew he was following us to any possible escape and was most likely waiting down in the graveyard below, probably armed with some kind of weapon, fashioned or otherwise. Would he try to take a swipe at Johns if he dropped his guard? My instincts told me his predatory nature would rejoice at the opportunity. Heat rose again to my face. Would he try to take a swipe at _me?_ I wasn't sure if the nerves I was feeling at the thought were from anxiety or anticipation.

Taking another swig of my shiraz, we began our descent into the valley of bones.

XXXX

Like silent vigils the skeletons lay, huge jaws agape with empty eyes staring at us as we all made our way through their remains. Up close enough to touch, the creatures' staggering size was fully appreciated; all of us could have stood comfortably inside one of their massive ribcages and still have room for more. As my eyes roved over the small details of their bones - hairline fractures, patterned stippling, scars, marks that looked like they were made by sharp teeth – I wondered if at one point they were the ruling species on this planet. Something…or _some things_ …must have been their demise.

It was cooler down here in the valley but not by much. The sand, constantly shadowed by enormous bones, absorbed the shade's chill and made for easier walking. That didn't' stop the sweat from running down my temples and in between my breasts though, one of the most irritating sensations I have to say. I really hated the heat.

Frye and Johns were in the lead followed by Imam, his boys, Paris, Jack, Shazza and Zeke, and myself. The couple ahead of me was armed with a pair of spears from Paris' supply and they were glancing around nervously. Shazza's head was revolving like an owl's and she kept adjusting her hold on the weapon. Sweaty palms. Zeke's gaze was focused intently forward and his shoulders were hunched in an attack posture. I wanted to laugh and tell them that if Riddick wanted to ghost them, no amount of splintering wooden spears and nerves was going to be of much use.

As if on cue, I suddenly sensed him very near. We were just passing an enormous collapsed spine, its rib bones jutting out of the sand like striking snakes. Freezing in spot, it was like I was drugged. As if I had walked into a cloud of his energy, it invaded my body like a virus and my own energies responded. A deep shudder ran under my skin from the nape of my neck down to the ends of my ankles and I tried to target his location. _Where was he?_ It was impossible for with his energy came his scent, heady and thick like a fog. My eyes were deceiving me; everywhere I looked the white lines of bone criss-crossed in a blinding pattern that led me nowhere. Breath hitched in my throat and my fists instinctively clenched – I realized I was still gripping the bottle of half-filled shiraz and for one wild moment I wanted to burst out laughing.

The group's discussions were fading rapidly as they disappeared through the graveyard. Silence pressed in around me.

I felt his energies alter their course. The air changed around me and shifted to my right before moving ahead of me again. _Was he playing with me?_ I still couldn't see him but his energy still danced tantalizingly close. Ducking under a large femur, I made my way into the shadows of a smaller skeleton's ribcage, where the bones grew closer together and provided more protection. Their ends were sharp and would serve well as a weapon; I kicked the tip off of a smaller end piece and gripped it tightly. If need be I'd use it against Riddick or anything else. I didn't particularly want to mar that face, but you fight fire with fire.

Burning, my eyes were two glowing candles in the darkness, but unfortunately my attention was to the entrance of the ribcage, not the other collapsed end where only darkness could be seen. Already swamped with his energy and presence, I was completely unaware that he was directly behind me.

"That wine must be hittin' you hard in this heat," his deep grumble sounded, inches from the back of my neck. _Goddamn._


	4. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

The breath in my chest didn't seem to want to escape. It felt like it was a balloon slowly expanding at the sensation of Riddick's own breath on my skin, warm and close. He was standing directly behind me like a lion before pouncing. Thoughts raced through my head at escape – and other things that didn't involve escape - quite the opposite, actually. I could make a run for it, but the wine was indeed making me clumsy and lightheaded; I doubted I'd make it far before Riddick would stop toying with me and ghost me in the sand. If it really came down to it, I was morally prepared to seduce to evade a death sentence.

At the moment I was pretty sure I was prepared to seduce anyway.

"I've been meaning to catch up with you alone…unrestrained."

Make that absolutely sure. The huskiness of his voice made my knees tremble. Actually tremble. No male had ever evoked this sensation within me before, and I was wholly at a loss. The small space made his words echo slightly and I felt his huge body move closer to mine. The air shifted with his presence. Beginning to turn to question why, I immediately felt a sharp jab under my ribs through the tight black shirt I was wearing and I froze. Apparently he found a nice pointy object as well.

"Where you goin'?" he murmured, his tone amused. "I know you freed me and all, but the last reapers I ran into…lay a hand on your chest for a moment and that's all it takes, right?"

I scowled over my shoulder and I could almost sense his wide grin.

"I'll take that as an affirmative. See, a reaper's sweet spot happens to be a little further up," his makeshift shiv, bone like mine, dug deeper between my ribs. Pain shot up my side as I felt it break the skin. A low hiss escaped my lips. Having enough of his 'I'm the bad guy' routine, I spun away from him with surprising speed and raised my own weapon. Droplets of my blood flecked the white sand below but I still managed a smirk.

"Not even close, Riddick."

 _Damn him._ Sure, he may have just been jabbing a sharp bone into my side, but as he came into full view I couldn't help but stare a little. The way his creamy caramel skin was shining with sweat and the way his muscled body seemed to fill the entire space made my female sensibilities go haywire. The blank tank he was wearing was stretched taut over his chest and clung to him, outlining every tone. As my eyes ate him up the temperature seemed to rise by a steady ten degrees.

"Seemed pretty close to me," he grinned, taking a step forward. Those shining eyes, like two moons where violet flowers bloomed, appraised me. I froze in place, held captivated. _Shit_. He knew the effect he had on me; probably smelled it. By way his energy was surging, I could tell he was enjoying himself. My body tensed and I raised my weapon, ready for an attack, but the combination of the heat, Riddick's energy and scent, and the shiraz I was still wielding was making my head blurry and my limbs weak. What I really needed was a rest and a solid meal, but those things were currently distant dreams.

Those eyes flicked up and down, hungrily. Couldn't help but move my gaze down to his lips and yearn for them to be at my throat again. Low rumble of pleasure from his chest at that, as if my face were transparent and he could see everything going on in my head. Glancing behind me, I slowly backed up as well as I could in the cramped space. There was always the chance I could dart away and escape through the maze of skeletons but what good would that really do? If not now, he would probably kill me later. He followed my movements, making a tsk-tsk noise that he somehow managed to sound sexy.

"Nowhere to run reaper. You let me out…so hear me out," the last few words were spoken gently but a threat lurked behind them. Eyeing his shiv, I nodded warily and stopped. _He wanted to talk? Fine._

"Don't trust Johns," he stated simply. He had stopped close to me and looked down, his eyes intense but unreadable. We were so close I could feel every breath and hear his heartbeat. Energy pounded with it, through his core and down his limbs, twirling invisibly around his fingers. Being within its immediate proximity was actually making my skin numb. _Definitely not human,_ I mused as if his statement didn't exist. Perhaps I thought it was obvious.

"I wasn't planning to. The man's a merc; that's enough for me to stay away from him," I found myself whispering. Apparently my voice had decided to desert me along with my sanity, for at my words Riddick leaned down with a growl that was more of a vibration than sound and inhaled deeply at my throat. A delicious slick coil seemed to unwind just behind my navel at the faint touch of his nose and lips. I had to physically resist the urge to reach up and pull his face down to mine.

"Don't say another word," he rumbled. _Oh god, no problems there,_ I thought as he reached for my wrists with a swiftness that surprised me.

However, instead of mashing our faces together which is what I completely expected him to do, he quickly closed a huge rough hand over my mouth and pulled me down further into the shadows of the ribcage we were inhabiting. Quickly locking his strong legs around my ankles in a move that was more grace than muscle, he laughed lightly into my ear. Shock and confusion swept through me and I squirmed in his hold as he deftly pinned my arms with his other hand. _Uhh, did I miss something!?_

I was just about to start gnawing at his fingers for release when footfalls sounded, hastily dissolving my bewilderment. More than one were approaching, and I started to distinguish two different sets of energies. Damn Riddick's hearing; it was obviously beyond human capacity and he heard them before I did. While I had been busy slowly unbuckling his pants with my mind he had been doing useful things like paying attention to our surroundings. For what seemed like the thousandth time that day, I swore at myself. Damn.

Pressed back-to-front against his trunk-like body, I stopped struggling when I realized that a set of those footsteps belonged to Johns.

In a moment Johns and Frye rounded the corner. Speak of the blue-eyed devil.

"Shazza said she was right behind them," Frye said, hands on her hips as they stopped and surveyed the area. She was sweating and flushed; the half-full bottle of rum dangled on her belt. Judging by her sluggish aura she was well on her way to getting trashed. Dark circles hung under her eyes and her short blonde hair clung to her temples and the nape of her neck. Maybe Owens' death had hit her harder than I thought. Johns, still slightly unsteady from his hit, peered around like a predator. As his gaze fell across the bones of the cage we were in, his eyes met mine unknowingly for a fleeting moment but I felt oddly protected by the man lying behind me. A drunk and a junkie looking for a reaper being held somewhat hostage by a convict. What a mix.

Riddick and I were well hidden in the shadows and the ribs formed an isolating wall between them and us; I wasn't worried. Despite being held tightly by this large murderous convict, he was preaching to the choir by holding my mouth shut. There was no way I would risk him being caught; Johns would probably find a cruel way to keep him under control, one that would make trying to rescue him again next to impossible. I didn't want to think what he planned on doing with me, and even though I could defend myself I was weak from the heat and would be easily overcome.

"She seems long gone by now," Johns drawled. Owing to the bones I could only see half of his stupid merc face. "Probably ran off with Riddick to try and ghost us all in our sleep later on. Ain't that a pretty picture, Caroline? Or should I say Captain?"

"I'm not your captain," Frye snapped back. Her stare at Johns was daggers, challenging. He looked surprised.

"Could have fooled me."

I twitched as Frye sighed and leaned heavily against the ribcage, making it crack ominously. Dust fell around us from above and Riddick's grip tightened on me for a moment and I felt a flash of feminine pleasure.

"When things were at their worst, Owens…" her voice broke, "Owens was at his best. He was the one who stopped the docking pilot from dropping the main load. The passengers."

She took a heady gulp of rum as if to try and forget what she just said. My nose wrinkled at the sharp tang of alcohol.

"And the docking pilot being?" Johns pressed.

She was silent.

Johns merely reached out and pulled down the cap she was wearing over her eyes.

"I guess I'm a little happier to be here than I thought," he said quietly. He took one last look around and exited the area. His energy followed him like a storm. Smiling slightly, Frye adjusted the hat and followed him, seemingly stunned that he had reacted so mildly.

As their footsteps faded I realized I was, too, happier than I thought at surviving. If Owens hadn't stopped her, we would probably all be dead and she might have been touring this planet alone. If the knowledge that she was the only survivor on a desolate planet didn't kill her the heat definitely would. I had yet to see which option would turn out better for us all.

When I was certain the coast was clear, I struggled a little to let Riddick know it was time for him to release me. The dusty hand covering my mouth was starting to smother me. He laughed lowly at this and didn't loosen his grip.

"So eager to leave, reaper? I asked you to hear me out," his voice was deliciously close to my ear as he pulled me closer to his hard, toned body. My buttocks pressed firmly against his hard thighs and I sincerely hoped it was another makeshift weapon pressing back. "They were just an interruption." My mouth went so dry I wasn't sure if I would be able to respond.

"You want to warn me about Johns? Fine. Consider me warned. It's not like I was planning on getting super friendly with the guy-"

"Not just the merc," he growled, and the coil in my stomach tightened.

"What then?"

"Press your head to the sand and listen," he whispered. Heart pounding, I felt him tighten his hold around my wrists briefly and I snarled, lowering my head to the ground.

"This better be good," I muttered, grinding my cheek into the sand. If this was some kind of convict trick, get your victims to listen to some imaginary shit in the ground and then ghost them where they lie, I was going to be truly upset.

For a moment I heard nothing. The sand was warm against my face and the only sound was my blood and its muffled pounding in my ears. I tried to ignore the massive man behind me and all his glorious body heat and energies but it was very difficult. I felt it collect and settle around my being like raging water being calmed by the sun. In fact I was just about to raise my head when I heard it.

Deep below the ground, it was an organic sound of movement. Difficult to detect but impossible to miss when heard, it filled me with a dark sense of foreboding. It was as if countless things below were scurrying over themselves, climbing through pitch black darkness and making strange high-pitched noises to each other. Their numbers sounded like many; hundreds of thousands deep in the ground. Yellow eyes widening in shock, I twisted in his grip and to my surprise, he let me.

"What are they?" I breathed, now face to face with him. He smiled down at me, shining eyes knowing.

"As I said before," he replied, his voice barely above a whisper. "There are scarier things out there than me."

In a swirl of sand I whirled away from his heat and luscious energies, not without disappointment. The sounds had severely rattled my nerves and while Riddick was enticing, it did seem like we had bigger things to worry about. I crouched just at the entrance of our little hideout and gazed at him. He was lying luxuriously on the sand where we had lay, head in hand, gazing at me with the same hunger as before. If it wasn't dry before, my mouth was definitely dry now.

"You seem a little on edge, reaper," he stated, silver eyes twinkling. "If we ever get out of this mess I know a couple of ways to remedy it."

I prickled at his amused smile but shivered inwardly at his words.

"Call me Xen," I said, curling my lip, "but if those things down there somehow manage to get up here, we're going to be a fuckton more than 'on edge.' I'm prepared to do whatever it takes to get off this rock." The statement was cold but my wrists still tingled from where he had held me and the burning coil in me was still hot. Low laughter filled the space.

"You've got spirit...Xen. In this little psycho-fuck group of ours, we're the survivors. I know it. You know it. It'll only be a matter of time before we prove it. "

XXXX

"Hello Mecca!"

Frye's cry of delight sounded through the canyon as we approached its exit. The three suns were high in the sky as we reached the settlement, never-setting and vigil. Our shadows shrunk, cowering around our ankles; I couldn't believe it but I was pretty sure it was getting hotter.

After our little discussion I had rejoined the group and they showed much relief; Jack voiced openly she was sure Riddick had ghosted me and Imam had clapped me on the shoulder with a happy smile. Frye was merely glad I was alive and Johns had stared at me hard the entire time, calculating, wondering if his suspicions were true and I was indeed fraternizing with Riddick. Pfft. Of course I was.

I was hoping Riddick would follow suit but no luck. The lone wolf in him needed to figure things out privately and I could definitely relate. A group with more people led to more problems, and as I looked around everyone seemed to be feeling a little worse for wear. Spears and equipment lay heavy on Shazza and Zeke's shoulders and Paris was dragging his feet. Johns was hovering near the back, ensuring I couldn't slip away again, but he still had the shakes and his breathing was shallow. Jack and Imam's boys seemed immune to the heat and were ahead of the rest, scouting the area and throwing stones. They were the ones who first alerted the group that we were there.

The settlement itself turned out to be a small research station for a colony of scientists. Appearing just after the canyon's craggy rocks opened up to the valley beyond, it was more than we could hope for. About a dozen buildings were clustered together like a miniature village. Half were made of a cheap but sturdy combination of metal poles and tough tarp, perfect for quick and easy set up and tear down. The others were made of more solid cement-like material which suggested the previous group were planning on long-term investment. Huge solar blades protected by a glass dome were mounted on each of these buildings, dusty from disuse. This is how they must have powered their equipment. Three suns definitely made solar power a no-brainer.

Excitement rippled through the group as we explored it and the boys sounded loud whoops of joy. They were the first to race through the area and disappear, with Frye and Johns close behind.

I walked around the sandy perimeter, breaking off from the rest of the group to check things out. I made my way to a small building that was nearly empty. Made of their sturdier cement material it boasted two small rooms, the first of which was illuminated enough by the light spilling in through the doorway. Nothing but dust in the first one. Walking through it, I paused in the doorway of the second room where only darkness lay beyond.

"Lights?"

Nothing happened.

"Lights on?"

The shadows remained stubborn.

Noticing a small shuttered window to my left, I moved over and opened it as well as I could. It protested with a loud squeak but allowed sunlight to pass through. The light fell on a small table further into the small space, illuminating a small diagram model of a solar system. Apparently solar powered as well, it ticked into life.

Intrigued, I moved closer.

Three illuminated spheres rotated slowly around three smaller ones which were not illuminated. This must have been a representation of the system we were in. Two planets rotated in between the small sphere and its three suns, two on one side and one on the other. One was a massive gas giant, its huge rings represented with transparent polymer. Beside it was a dark planet just larger than the one we were on, about the size of an eyeball. A small gage at the bottom read 16...17…18…as the model clicked along.

Just as I reached out to touch one of the planets, a shadow filled the doorway.

"Hey there pretty reaper," Johns' voice sounded. I instantly felt my skin break out in goosebumps as his energies reached out with electric fingers to touch me. I ground my teeth together. _Bloody merc!_ He didn't need to tell me that he was pointing a gun at the back of my head again; the sudden tang of metal and artificial energy was enough. Just what I needed.

Turning warily and raising my hands – only shoulder-height, give me a break merc – I was very mindful of the back of my leg where my bone shiv was tucked.

Johns smiled dangerously as I faced him. His stance was offensive; gun pointing directly at my head while he barricaded the escape. Intense focus was on his face but his hands were still shaky. My guess was that his hit was wearing off and the heat was settling in. I wanted to scoff; did he really think I couldn't get out if I wanted to, him being in the state he was? Honestly I didn't really want to know what was going on inside that sick head of his. Whatever, merc. I'll play along with your little game for now.

"Do you always greet girls this way or are you just happy to see me?" I taunted dully.

"Always save a little something special for you, darlin'," he drawled, and I hated myself for admiring the shape of his lips as he smiled. "God knows what you were doin' out there in the desert but I've got a pretty good guess, so this next bit might not come as a surprise."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Amaze me."

The snide smile still on his face, he gestured out of the building.

"Why don't you just walk on ahead of me and I'll show you what I mean."


	5. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

I wanted to scream with joy as I saw the skiff. Like a little miracle in this strange oasis it was small, only a six-seater, but its hull was intact and the wings were tattered but easily repairable. It was shaped like a mint green, rounded out triangle and sat behind a building that sported the embellishment 'Coring Room.' Its bay ramp was lowered and Frye could be heard inside already doing systems check and general diagnostics. I couldn't believe our luck.

Johns had put his gun away but still had a hand on it as he led me to the small craft. He had me walk ahead of him the entire way with my hands up as if I were suddenly going to lose my mind and attack with abandon. Actually that tactic works quite well if you have the element of surprise, but I wasn't about to empty his guts with everyone else hanging around. For the most part I avoided bloodshed and preferred not to kill unless necessary. I'm also pretty sure he just wanted to stare at my ass the whole time.

I had dropped my hands at the sight of the craft and hope soared within me. This changed everything. I swiftly approached and laid a hand on its hot metallic surface. It burned but the pain was refreshing and validating. No matter what, I was getting off this planet and this was my ticket home. I wanted to weep with relief and gratitude to whoever the fuck it was up there keeping us all alive and a wide smile broke through my face at the thought. The sensation never felt more welcome or wonderful. Johns seemed to read my mind.

"We just need five power cells from our ship to get her going," he said, nodding inside to where Frye was working. "Luckily they weren't affected by the crash and are still usable. We're going back to get them - Shazza found an old sand cat in one of the buildings that seems to run solar like everythin' else here. The rest of the group is stocking up on water for the journey. We found an old pump that's still working."

"Ah I see, so I can't wait with the car until you get back?" I replied sarcastically. Johns made an ugly face and stepped towards me, palming his weapon.

"As far as I'm concerned little girl, we're glued at the hip. You're not running off to Riddick again if I can help it and we need all hands on deck. So when that sand cat comes around that corner, buckle the fuck up."

Holding my ground, I bared my teeth and my large yellow eyes burned through the hot dry air. He hesitated, blue eyes uncertain.

"Just keep it up merc," I hissed softly. "All that energy you spend on trying to keep things under control…it's messing you up. I can smell it," I inhaled deeply and my eyelids fluttered as a taste of his energy flowed into me. "You're trying to cover up your fear, your _terror_ at the thought that you might not make it off this planet alive. But no amount of morphine is going to take _that_ edge off. This I promise you."

The look that spread across his face was immensely satisfying.

XXXX

I had never experienced being in a sand cat before and I have to admit that if we weren't all trying to save our skins and escape this fucked up desert, I would be more than happy to do it again. Claiming a seat in the back of the sand colored vehicle, I was beside the dome-encased solar blades that were spinning rapidly, fueled by the three suns above. Jack was sitting on the other side of it with a rag, wiping it down frequently as dust collected eagerly on the glass. She was coping well with the situation; during the ride she talked about how Shazza had saved her and how nice of people she and her husband were. For a thirteen year old kid who just survived a severe crash on an alien planet, she was doing remarkably well. As I looked over her ragged clothes and shaved head I wondered if the life she was trying to escape was worse than the situation we were currently in. What would it be like if we did manage to get away? The thought pricked at the back of my mind like thorns.

"Oh, are you all out of shiraz? Take this."

A large bottle of what seemed to be Riesling was pressed into my hands. Looking up to my left with a smile, I saw Paris nod with a paternal expression and rummage around in his robes for another. He was sitting unsteadily in the middle of the vehicle, looking a little green at the motion of it but otherwise alright. The smell of alcohol was coming off him in strong wafts; he had polished off his own bottle of sweet vermouth and had just popped the cork on the second.

"It's amazing what you can do without the luxuries of life provided you have the little necessities," he slurred, taking a gulp at the wrong moment; the sand cat hit a discarded bone and it lurched, spilling the wine down his front.

Laughing, I said, "don't you mean the other way around?"

"My dear," he said thickly, half-heartedly attempting to sop up the wine with his sleeve, "on this infuriating rock, intoxicants of this nature," he sloshed the remaining wine for effect, "are indeed necessities."

At this, Zeke looked over his shoulder at us from the front seat and gave Paris a frown.

"If that's one of your necessities I wonder what the bloody hell your luxuries are," he said. Paris gestured around the pale skeletons we were driving through.

"Not being here is a luxury," he said. "I bet that's the last thing those settlers thought before they were transported off this - "

"You really think they left with their clothes on their hooks and books on their shelves?" I interjected. "Not to mention the skiff and water pump. Plus Frye, you said you found some of their coring samples, right? They didn't just leave them here. Whatever got these things got them," I finished, eyeing the bones. Frye had looked around when I spoke her name and looked uncertain.

"Yeah, the samples were twenty- two years old this month. I found it strange that they would have left their work here too. I…I don't know what happened."

The rest of the trip passed without incident but we were all uneasy from our conversation. As we approached the ruins of the Hunter-Gratzner, I wondered where Riddick was. Johns had made the decision to leave the skiff unattended as he didn't want the group to split up and be vulnerable to attack, but it left it wide open for our favorite convict. He figured without the power cells though, the skiff would be useless and he would have nowhere to run. Was Riddick waiting for the group back here, to ghost us all until he was alone and the skiff was his for the taking? No, I figured if he were to go on a murderous rampage he would at least keep the children alive. He simply wouldn't be that heartless.

Shazza parked the vehicle with a spray of sand and hopped out with Zeke and Frye at her heels. There was something in the air that was different, something that we couldn't pinpoint, but was making us hurry. Imam led his boys quickly from the vehicle and Paris followed closely behind, bottles clanking. Johns quickened after them.

As I jumped out myself and hastened to the crumpled section where the power cells were housed, I felt a shift under the sand; not a physical one, but mental. Whatever was down there was anticipating something and it was stirring them into hectic mayhem. Dread, cold and fluid like icy water, drenched me.

"What's happening!?" the scream sounded behind me and I whirled around, feet from the entrance of the ship. Jack was running towards me with a skinny arm pointing to the sky, fear on her face. I looked up.

The rings of a huge planet were slowly coming into view. Translucent and soaring, they breached the horizon and wheeled impossibly high above us like the gears of some massive cosmic machine. _What am I seeing…?_ The tiny model from the settlement flashed in my mind and I understood. This grand event turned out to be a supreme eclipse of multiple planets and stars. The model did not do this system justice or hold any of the humbling power this planet radiated; its immense size dwarfed our planet completely as it rose. The sky had turned a sickly orange color in a matter of minutes as the immense object ascended before us and the temperature started dropping.

Never before had I seen a sight such as this and my heart felt trapped in my throat at its tremendous beauty. I felt small, insignificant, a mere mote in the face of this colossal planet. On its scale, any organic being was unimportant, not even worth considering. I was standing in a stupor and Jack mirrored me just a few yards ahead. Her arms dangled limply at her sides as she faced the sky like an imploring devout.

The planet was steadily smothering the sky in darkness. Already I couldn't see the horizon any longer, and the rings of the planet were growing darker. Suddenly I heard a screaming sound again, and I thought it was someone else from the group until I realized it was coming from all around us. As the darkness became almost complete, as the orange sky became a half-moon, I felt the earth tremble. The screams around us became more inhuman, more numerous. My senses were on overdrive; countless feral energies crackled in the air. I could hear and smell them; their scent was earth and musk similar to reptiles.

The orange sky blended into a poisonous pink and my attention was drawn to the termite-like mounds in the distance just beyond where the Hunter-Gratzner had plummeted. The quaking could be felt again and the sound of crumbling rock was heard.

"Oh shit," I breathed just as fountains of creatures burst out from the mounds and dunes. Rock was strewn in all directions as they erupted, eager and hungry. Their numbers were endless. They soared into a huge living cloud above their prison, chirping and crying and screaming at their freedom.

The pink sky flashed a glorious gold for one spectacular moment as the rings of the planet ascended to their final resting place. The thousands of creatures circling high above let out a unanimous shriek of pain. Did the light hurt them? A whooshing sound above my head made me look up quickly; a small creature the size of a dog was spiraling out of the sky, its skin crisping and blackening in the final burst of the dying light. As it sizzled to the ground just ahead of me, a different cry, triumphant this time, sounded out. The planet followed its rings dutifully and soon the sky was blanketed in the darkest black I had ever known. So much for our sand cat.

Logic in the form of Jack's inert body clunked into place and I burst forward. Skidding in the sand, I grabbed her arm and she jerked back to her senses. We ran into the decimated section of the ship, looking for the others. The screams of the creatures grew around us and I knew they were surrounding the craft, searching for us. Smelling us.

I finally glimpsed Paris's profile to my right and shoved Jack in ahead of me into a small metal room, what turned out to be the engineering section of the ship. I followed behind her and slid the door closed behind me, locking it tightly.

"Good of you two to join the party, we're just getting started," Johns voice sounded. The sparse room was lit by a torch that Frye was holding above the group. Their attention was to the far end of the area where Riddick was standing, arms calmly at his sides, silver eyes narrowed at the light. Johns was holding a gun in his face and looked sickly but determined. Explained why no one had come out to get Jack and I at our absence; they were too preoccupied by the sudden murderer in their midst. Had to give it to him; this was a perfect time to show up.

My breath caught in my throat as he looked over at me and the smallest of smiles graced his face. _How the fuck was he here though?_ My brain spun for the answer but I could only think how relieved I was that was alive and not being torn apart by those things out there. Also his potent energy was beginning to swim through my head like an airborne narcotic and for a luscious moment I pictured myself straddling his hips with my palms planted flat on his chest, head thrown back and eyes alight with energy transfusion. Oh, that would be nice. As his eyes broke away from mine to Johns', I could have sworn the tip of his tongue touched his lip. And I'm spent.

"I had really hoped to never see you again Johns," Riddick growled, "but here we are. And look what kind of ghost-happy situation we're in now."

Both his voice and his presence filled the small metal area and no one spoke. The torchlight glinted off his sweat-streaked skin and tight muscles as if daring anyone to try something. Paris fidgeted in the back beside us and gulped. I sincerely hoped _he_ wouldn't try anything stupid against Riddick in a blind moment of heroism; he'd have his toothpick neck snapped before he could say 'shiraz.'

"I'll be the one saying what our situation is," Johns snarled after adjusting the weapon so that it was touching Riddick's temple. "So here's what's going to happen, and I don't have time to fuck around. We grab the five power cells and take 'em back to the skiff. Carry them, drag them, whatever it takes. Plug 'em in, close her up, and we're off this fucker. And if you try anything in between any of that shit, I'm blowing your legs off and leaving you for those things out there."

"That's a nice plan Johns," Riddick said mildly, crossing his strong arms. "And what will you do with me once we're off-world, huh? Take me back to some asshole of a cell again? Fuck you."

"We can't argue like this, we need to _move!_ " Frye interjected angrily. Johns swiveled and fixed her with a lethal stare.

"And what exactly is your plan, Caroline? Just walk outside in pitch darkness, hope for the best until we can't see what's eating us?"

She opened her mouth to retort but I stepped forward.

"The light hurts them," I stated loudly. The group turned to look at me, surprised at my voice. "Jack and I saw it. When they were hit with that last flash of sunlight, they all screamed as if it hurt them and I saw one fall out of the sky. Its skin was burned like the light was fire."

"She's right! If we all had flashlights or torches or something - " Jack began eagerly, but she was cut off by Johns. He had turned back to Riddick and was looking intense.

"We'll deal with that later, so as I said earlier. You help us get that fucking skiff online and off this rock and I'm willing to stop chasing you."

I could have strangled him right there. Riddick raised a suspicious eyebrow and tilted his head.

"You'd cut me loose?"

"I'm thinking you could have died in the crash," Johns replied, lowering his gun but not his eyes. Riddick's own flicked from the weapon to Johns' face. Something in the way Johns had said it made me think he was lying. Actually, I thought, no matter how he would have said it I wouldn't have believed it. If Johns was a merc and Riddick a convict, a payday was in the mix and it's not like a merc to deny credits. Just how much I didn't know, but I was fairly certain Johns wasn't one to ditch a pay this huge.

I hoped Riddick didn't believe it either as he gave Johns the briefest of nods after a moment, his silver eyes shining in the yellow light of the torch. Johns nodded back and took something out of his pocket. He held it out to Riddick. It was his goggles.

Riddick took them carefully as if expecting Johns to snatch them away. Silently he put them on his head but didn't cover his eyes.

The group rippled with unease as Riddick and Johns separated; Johns over to Frye and Riddick over to me.

"So he's on our side now?" Shazza whispered to Zeke, who had his arms crossed and was shaking his head as he watched Riddick walk across the small space to where I was standing with Jack. I wanted to tell them that a well-muscled convict was a great asset to any group stranded on a desert planet but was prevented by a deep growl and wave of energy I was becoming very familiar with.

"You're alive," he stated, eyes twinkling. "Let's see how long that lasts."

XXXX

It was Frye who suggested we use the neon light tubes used for emergency illumination. We would attach them to a small metal cart where the power cells would be stored, and we would each carry a coil of it snaked around ourselves to protect us from the creatures. We would try and transport the cells back to the skiff and hope it would be enough light to dissuade the monsters from sating their hunger. Riddick agreed to lead the group; with his eyes, he could see the path a hell of a lot better than anyone else.

The tubing lined the inside of next section over, attached to the one we were in. However the corridors were full of the creatures now and the only way through was to use the torch to cut a passageway in the sheet metal wall. Frye was currently working away at it, burning her way through with a grimace. The smell of melting metal and the sizzle of the torch filled the area but not much else. Most of the group was sitting together in the center, not talking.

The sounds from outside were more than enough to keep us occupied. Sharp scraping was heard frequently as if the creatures were dragging long claws along the length of the ship, and loud bangs from above made me wonder if they were actually trying to get in that way or if the noise was merely a distraction.

Jack's eyes were fixed on the ceiling as she hugged her knees to her chest. Imam had an arm around her petite shoulders and his own smallest boy while the other two gathered around him. He was leading them in quiet prayer. I was a little surprised he and his boys were comfortable enough to close their eyes; Riddick was leaning against the far wall with his arms crossed, looking menacing.

For some reason he kept staring at me. I was sitting beside Jack as comfort to her, a few feet from where he was standing. Oddly enough it made me feel safer, his eyes on me. They weren't hungry like before; this time there was a strange expression there, almost akin to concern or worry. _About me?_ I wanted to slap myself. I highly doubted this huge man would waste energy on worrying about someone in a situation like this. Wouldn't be efficient.

A giant shriek of metal made us jump; they were trying to pry their way through the door I had locked. With a sickening drop in my stomach I saw a long gray claw extend through the small gap between the door and its metal frame.

"Oh shit - " I managed before Riddick swiftly moved forward and using his bone shiv, sliced the claw from its host. A spurt of blue blood gushed and an ear-splitting scream of pain sounded as the crippled arm retracted. The group instantly moved over to the wall where Frye was working, away from the door.

"You might want to hurry the fuck up," Johns said evenly to Frye, who was sweating as she torched the wall.

"You think I can't hear what's going on over there? Tell me something I don't know," she barked back, flicking her blonde hair away with a shake of her head. Stressed energy was coming off of her in sour waves.

No other claws reached through the gap in the door but the noise increased. Riddick moved so that his body was between the door and me.

"I can protect myself," I muttered to him, although not complaining about my view. His shoulders were heavy and impressive and if I reached out just the right way I could maybe touch him and pass it off as an accident—

Shaking my head, I glanced back and was glad to see that Imam was standing in front of his boys and Jack, ready to fight like I was. He gave me a shaky nod but his eyes were composed and keen.

Riddick let out a laugh that rumbled low and gravelly and I turned back with an eyebrow raised.

"Sure you can," he said, and a flush rose in my face as he winked at me.


	6. Chapter Six

Chapter Six

The glowing blue neon tubes were wrapped around us like poisonous serpents, our only real defense against the starving beasts that swarmed in the thousands just outside. We were gathered around a small metal cart just by the exit of the section and doing last minute preparations for leaving the ship. The cart was loaded with three power cells as that's all that could fit, and they were secured with metal twine from the wreckage.

Bathed in bright blue light, Riddick strapped himself to the cart with rope and more twine. He was going to pull the cart behind him while Jack pushed and made sure the cells stayed secure. His posture and expression suggested he was about to embark on a day trip and his energies flowed calm and steady unlike everyone else's. Was he in his element, about to dash into the dark surrounded by enemies, ready to fight at a moment's notice? Not even a question.

Mounted with the cells was the power source for the light, a metal box about the size of a human head and twice as heavy. Riddick's load to bear was extreme and Jack, having gotten ready before anyone else, was spending her remaining time in the ship avidly gazing at him. She had volunteered for the position eagerly and considered it of extreme importance. If we all survived this shit storm, I wouldn't be surprised if she asked him to marry her. Touch of unwanted jealousy at that.

"I want light at my back but not in my eyes," Riddick said, adjusting the neon tubes around his firm waist. Frye nodded and Johns backed up a couple of steps with a smirk. "I'm going to be going one speed. Mine. If you can't keep up, don't try to catch up. If that happens do us a favor and leave the light behind."

Paris shakily adjusted his grip on the rope attached to the second last cell. He was splitting the load with Zeke, knowing he couldn't shoot a gun and would be helpless with a spear. Procuring his vermouth from the depths of his robes again, he took a few long gulps and made a sour face. Zeke smirked and took a deep draught from his water canteen.

"That'll kill you before those bloody monsters do," he said while Shazza smiled nervously. Paris didn't argue.

I was in charge of the last cell, as I was still strong enough to bear heavy load for at least a while. At one point I knew I would have to feed, and didn't really want to think about how I was going to accomplish that, but I shouldered my own cell with relative ease. The cells were around eighty pounds apiece, not light baggage, and Riddick was going to pull three behind him along with the entire power supply for our light.

In replenishing my energy, draining Johns dry was my first choice as he kept shooting me dark looks as if he were planning something. It was probably my imagination but if the merc was scheming up a plan to ghost me or anyone else, he'd be dead before his pretty face hit the sand. Unfortunately at the moment we needed his firepower if we were to get through the now jet-black desert. Perhaps there would be an opportunity to corner him out there in the dark and I relished the thought.

"Is everyone ready?" I called. My own blue tubes glowed brightly in the shadows, giving me hope. Murmurs of affirmatives throughout the group. Shazza and Frye gripped their weapons tightly and Johns aimed his gun at the door. Riddick nodded over his shoulder. Apprehension flew through me as Frye pulled the door's lock open with a metallic screech, letting in a gust of warm air but nothing else. I was glad to notice the temperature had dropped by at least twenty degrees and it was now comfortable to breathe.

Deep determination filled my core as we stepped forward in unison out into the darkness.

And what exquisite darkness it was. Even my reaper eyes, which could easily see through any normal darkness, were at a loss. This was fucking _dark_. It was like we had stepped onto an endless black plane where nothing existed but the sand and rock beneath our feet and the screams of monsters around us. Riddick walked steadily, leading the group that was glowing brightly in the night.

"Sand cat is over to our right," he said, muscles bulging with effort. I was glad the cart was traveling relatively silently and moved easily enough with Jack assisting. Aside from the huge weight Riddick bore, his pace was sure and quick. "We'll follow our tracks back. Shouldn't take more than an hour if we all keep our heads."

The estimated time was encouraging but the sounds that were surrounding us definitely weren't. The creatures, drawn to our presence but hiding from our light, called to each other hungrily. Sharp trills filled the air, high-pitched and ear-splitting. It came from all sides and I didn't want to guess at the numbers. As well, constant gusts of air from above sent chills over our skin and lifted our hair. It was always joined by the flap of leathery wings and more than once Imam's boys let out cries of fear as they swooped low.

"I can see them," Jack whimpered, shining the end of her tube into the darkness where the creatures writhed in pain but followed out of hunger. Their skin looked slick and scaly, a dull gray color. They sported two strong legs that ended in lethal claws, as well as two long wings that stretched and folded as they squabbled and jumped at the light. Their heads were strange; triangle shaped with two long bony protrusions on either side, similar to the hammerhead sharks of earth. Long barbed tails whipped out in frustration, only to coil back at the glow of our light. Some of them were positively huge, dwarfing Riddick even, though they seemed to all be affected equally by the illumination and stayed well away.

"Ignore them Jack," I whispered hastily, keeping pace with Riddick. "Don't let them distract you." The cell was grinding into my shoulder but I dared not stop; even hesitating could be enough to seal our demise.

Johns, apparently having heard me, gave a wicked smile.

"Kinda hard seeing as though we're completely surrounded by the fucking things. I don't think it matters if you whisper either reaper, we're a goddamn beacon out here and every damn one on this planet knows it," he drawled, blue eyes burning. "And we've got plenty of ground to cover…plenty of time for something to go wrong."

"You're a bloody charmer, aren't you?" Shazza muttered. Johns chuffed in response.

As if on cue, the cart gave a jolt and a terrified scream of pain pierced the night. We all stopped and spun around in haste and worry; one of Imam's boys, Hassan, had tripped over a sharp stone hidden under the sand and a long gash was painted down his shin. Bright blood shone a surreal purple in the blue light and the tang of copper drifted up with the wind. He was panting and holding his leg as he sat in the sand, and Imam hurried over to him to bandage the wound.

My nostrils stung at the stench of the creatures as they pushed closer, encouraged by the fresh blood in the air. This was definitely not good. They squirmed and thrashed just feet away from us.

"Well this is fucking perfect, isn't it," Johns called sarcastically, raising his arms at the scene. "Just as we get moving this fucking kid has to go and get himself cut. Might as well call it quits now cause his blood is going to be singing to these fucks all - "

A snaking gray tail shot out of the darkness and wrapped around Hassan's uninjured ankle with disarming speed. It happened so fast, no one had time to react; it yanked him away from Imam and shook off the light tubes, hissing as its skin singed, and dragged him screaming into the shadows. The group's surprised and horrified yells mixed with them, my own included. Exciting shrieking and the sickening sound of spilling blood and crunching bones followed quickly. It was a feeding frenzy. Imam's screams and pleas to his god echoed the sounds of his two remaining sons as they clutched and grasped at empty air for their brother. Hassan's screams continued for far too long before they were finally silenced.

Riddick, who had remained silent the entire time, turned forward again and cracked a shoulder.

"We're wasting light," he called loudly. Imam looked mortified at his words but didn't say anything. After a moment he gathered Hassan's tubes and wrapped them around his smallest, Ali, with intensely protective eyes.

With his nod, everyone started moving again, our steps shakier and our hope crumpling. We hadn't even gotten away from the ship for five minutes before someone had been killed, pulled right out from our hands in just a second. It showed the creatures were bold, more willing to risk pain than suffer starvation.

The noises around us were endless and the fresh kill and blood only exacerbated their hunger. We continued at the pace we were at, keeping close and praying the light would last. I stared at Riddick's back as he ran, pulling the cells along, shoulders straining. His lack of emotion at Hassan's death was disheartening but I understood it, and felt it myself to an extent. We had no real connection to these people; they were merely the choice few who survived an unlikely event with us and they were lucky to have lived as long as they did. Hell, we were all pretty fucking lucky to even be out here with a chance of escape, meager as it was.

But they were still people.

XXXX

For what seemed like hours but what was probably closer to half of one, our assorted party of light bringers reached the bone yard and paused before entering. Everyone watched ahead with wide, fearful eyes. The screeches of the creatures were numerous inside the remains, and through the darkness we could see they were crawling all over the skeletons like terrible oversized vermin, waiting. Not quite the crowd I'd choose to mingle with.

"We go fast through this shit," Riddick called. "Johns and Frye will cover our asses with heat; Zeke and Shazza, you've got spears. If no one fucks up or gets cut we'll get through this without more losses." At this he turned to me and growled softly, "Xen. Protect the girl."

Hearing him sound my name was strange but I liked it. I nodded. Imam said a quick prayer and switched out with Zeke in holding the cell with Paris. Jack paled slightly but readied herself behind the cart again and I understood her discomfort. To a human it wouldn't be obvious but to an energy reaper and Riddick, we could tell she was on her period. Probably the worst time to have it in her life; the planet we crashed on was inhabited by terrifying flesh-hungry monsters triggered by blood and there was nowhere to buy tampons.

Zeke raised his spear beside Shazza and nodded his affirmation of readiness. Frye and Johns gripped their plasma guns tightly, looking fearful but determined, and the group moved forward quickly.

At once the creatures backed away but their writhing and squabbling intensified. As we ran through the bones, all of us amazed at Riddick's speed, we were aware that something warm and wet was being rained down on us.

"Don't look up!" he called over his shoulder, his voice rough. A gooey blue blob fell on Jack and we looked up, of course.

The monsters were tearing each other apart above us, going for the small and sickly. Ravenous from years of hunger, they quickly turned on each other when they realized we weren't a readily viable option. Ducking low under a leg bone I was grateful at the distraction but not at the smell. Something akin to a mixture of rotting eggs and burning oil. Poor things; I assumed that after they managed to eat each other down to the last, they would become extinct and this planet would become truly dead. Such predators in numbers cannot exist for long.

Imam's boys yelled with fright as the blue blood showered down on us. Their noise obviously excited the creatures for they pressed in closer, emboldened by their shelter of skeletons. Glints of gnashing yellow teeth could be seen through the bones. Johns aimed through the darkness into the squirming mass and fired off two orange plasma bursts. An explosion of blue blood and innards ruptured outwards and we hurried even faster as their ear-splitting shrieks of pain sounded through the valley. Frye joined him in ghosting a pair that were sneaking too close.

We passed the ribs where Riddick and I had hid before and the memory bloomed in me like a warm flower. As we ran the sounds of the monsters faded into the distance and the only thing I focused on was his form ahead of me. His shoulders, back, and head were speckled blue and shone with sweat as he pulled the large weight of our salvation. My body trembled as it remembered the way his energy had flowed over me like purifying water and I almost stumbled. Checking myself, I realized I was getting edgy and feeding was almost a necessity now. With eighty odd pounds on my shoulder and from powering over uneven terrain, my energy expenditure was huge.

I told myself to focus on the sand ahead of me and ignore the hunger. Just one step at a time. It was funny; we were surrounded by enemies wanting to feed and here I was, part of the group, needing it just as badly.

A huge cracking sound split the air, distracting me from my inner turmoil. I looked around; huge bones began to shake around us. We were currently hurrying under an underpass of ribs and fine dust was falling from them like snow.

"Hurry!" Frye shouted. "They're making it collapse!"

With the combination of countless creatures perched on their bones, the remains had no choice but to buckle under the pressure. A huge slab of rib cage was dislocated from its spine and fell like a huge bone skid. Knowing what was going to happen before it did, I shoved the cart ahead and grabbed Jack, throwing her forward. I managed to slither out of my glowing tubes just as the bones fell on me. The tubes were pulled away as the group surged forward.

"No, Xen!" Jack screamed as she was dragged ahead out of danger by Frye. I was thrown to the ground with an 'oomph' and the air rushed out of my lungs. The ribs collapsed over my body like a claw and one of the sharp ends speared through my arm, pinning it to the sand. Crying out in pain I curled under it, agony shooting through me. Warm blood spurted up over my arm and pooled on the sand. I heard the monsters chirp and trill as they circled my prison, excited by the scent of my wound as it permeated the air. Well this is just perfect. I felt my eyes burn as my survival mode kicked in.

The glowing blue lights of the group were fading and shouts filled the air.

"The canyon's right there, lead them ahead! I'll grab her," Johns' voice reached me. My body was responding to the wound and was realizing that it needed to feed to repair itself. The thought of Johns coming alone to my rescue was pure ecstasy. Pulses of adrenaline and anistathyne, a chemical unique to reapers, flooded through my system. This time feeding was mandatory.

More shouting and expletives from the group but I couldn't hear what they were saying over the shrieks of the creatures. Suddenly Johns' silhouette appeared over the hazy blue horizon, weapon raised along with a crackling red flare. Spotting me huddled under the bones, he threw the flare to the side where it continued to burn and kneeled down to me.

I kept my face angled away to hide my smoldering eyes that were now two coals in my head. The muscles were tightening throughout my body and cording out, stretching the skin, preparing to feed. I struggled to keep my breathing even. My wound pulsed and bled and I felt energy sapping out of me, trailing away like a fog. Johns own energies, strong and electric, teased me like a coy lover. The need to feed was a bitch, man.

"Well, well, well," he mused, blue-eyes glinting dangerously. He eyed my skewered arm and snickered. If I could have punched him at that exact moment I would have. "Looks like you're in a bit of a situation again, reaper. Remember what I said last time, about saving your skin? I'm a man of my word."

He laughed lowly and pressed his knee into my hand, grinding it into the sand. I let out a twisted snarl of pain and hatred as he set his weapon aside and withdrew a red plastic box from his belt.

"I'm not saving you this time."

Swiftly, among the sounds of the monsters around us, he put together a small syringe loaded with a clear fluid. With a twist he popped out a long sharp needle and looked at me greedily.

"This is enough to knock out about five of you," he murmured, turning it over as he looked at it. "So even if you manage to get away from these things you won't get far. As I said before," he jabbed the needle into a vein on my wrist and depressed the syringe, "it's easier to get this group off-world if we're one less."


	7. Chapter Seven

So, yeah, my situation looked bad. There I was, pinned under a decomposing ribcage, wounded and bleeding, with a merc injecting a fatal amount of morphine into me. Great guy, right? It was soaring through my system like a warm poison, giving me the mother of all head rushes along with a high that made my eyes roll. Reapers were affected by drugs differently than humans; we got the same effects but others, as well. A deep numbing effect starts at the core and works its way out through our outer extremities, lasting about half an hour, leaving us totally defenseless and vulnerable. Fine if you're safe with people you trust but hell if you're in a bad situation – as stated previously.

All the while huge terrifying beasts patrolled around us in thick blackness, thirsty for my blood that was oozing from the wound in my arm. Well, and anything they could get their claws on, really. They weren't too choosey. Pissed was one thing you could call me at the moment, along with hungry. Ugh, I was stone cold sober too. I was going to change all three things very soon.

I could hear Johns' breath, warm and close, as he pulled out the needle and packed up the drugs. At the moment he seemed less interested in my fate than getting away; those bright blue eyes nervously twitched from the shadows to the flare where he had thrown it, just a couple yards away. The cries of the monsters around us made him hurry and his energies spiked with stress. _Hurry little piggy_ …rolling my head so that I could see him between the bones, I caught his eye.

"Leaving so soon?" I managed. That handsome brow furrowed and he paused. The pain in my arm was intense but the rest of my body was slowly going numb from the morphine; already I could feel my legs tingling.

"Can't talk your way out of this one sweetheart," he said darkly, breaking eye contact and standing to leave, "and neither will Jack when we ghost him and use him as bait for these things to buy us more time. Sorry to break it to you."

My blood boiled at his words. What a fucking asshole murderous douchebag! I felt my eyes grow hot and burn brighter with fury. Tells everyone he's rescuing the girl and then tries to murder her while already planning his next crime of an innocent? Evil fucker! He definitely deserves this and there was no way I was letting him go.

In an instant my uninjured hand shot out between the bones and I grabbed his ankle. Laughing as he yelled in surprise, I gave a vigorous yank that brought him down hard to the sand. He landed with a bark and a thud.

"I know what else I can do," I grinned, pulling his leg into my prison as he struggled. He saw my face and cried out in terror. Sure, we reapers tended to look a little feral if we didn't feed often; eyes twice as bright and larger than normal, I probably looked like some kind of nightmare. I held his horrified stare with blistering hatred, my face bathed in red from the flare. He kicked, trying to get me off, but from the moment I touched him I began to drain his life force. Shifting my grip, I ensured I only touched skin and delved into his energy pool. The rush was incredible.

"No! No!" he yelled, thrashing in the sand as his skin started to shrivel. As his energy transferred into my body I started laughing out of satisfaction and pleasure.

"Should have never let me out of that pod, merc," I taunted, my voice eerily deep. His limbs thrashed, spraying sand as he tried to escape my grasp. No luck. Tiredness and pain were distant dreams as I rejuvenated. Those blue eyes grew sunken, his flesh dried out like an apple left in the sun and his lips pulled back from his teeth in a deathly grimace. It was over in moments.

I let go of his corpse as if dropping a snake. Johns' heartlessness had met him a slippery end and I was glad he wouldn't be around to hurt anyone else.

I shoved the huge ribs off me, careful to pull the sharp end piece out slowly. Grinning at the sensation as there was no pain, it slid out with minimal effort and the wound closed swiftly. Making a triumphant fist, I took a step toward the sizzling red flare and collapsed to the ground.

XXXX

I awoke being jostled against a warm hard chest that was slick with moisture. Water streamed in my eyes as I blinked confusedly, trying to understand where I was. My feet were tingling and my legs were partially numb and my head was swimming uncomfortably like my mind was a ship at sea. It sounded like the sea around me actually; a steady stampede of water.

"What…what happened…what's going on?" the words tumbled from my mouth like marbles. A low rumbling chuckle filled my being and I realized Riddick was carrying me honeymoon-style, jogging through thick sheets of rain in the dark. Two red flares attached to his shoulders burned brightly, shining diffused light in a small radius around us; I assumed they were waterproof for they weren't going out in the downpour. The sand below his feet was gone and replaced with a black slate-like rock and his heavy footfalls thudded as they fell.

The knowledge that my favorite burly man was currently in the process of saving my ass raced through me like lightning and I grinned despite myself. Maybe it was still the morphine; Riddick go back for someone? It seemed unlikely.

"Didn't trust Johns to save you," he replied as if reading my mind, his voice amused. My insides fluttered at the depth and tenor of it. "Guy has a habit of ghosting his problems when they get in the way. Gotta be honest though, didn't peg you for a junkie."

"Very funny," I managed, still smiling stupidly into his shirt. Jeez, all it takes for this guy is to pick me up and I turn to jello. Normally, being the damsel in distress would be foreign and uncomfortable but this really wasn't that bad. Realizing my arms weren't doing anything useful, I reached up hesitantly and wrapped them around his strong neck for support. He didn't seem to mind and I swear another pleased grumble vibrated in his chest.

"Seemed Johns was more needle-happy than we thought, the bastard," I continued, more to myself than him. "Did you see…?"

"That human jerky those things were pulling apart? Yeah I saw him. Never thought he looked better."

He looked down at me through his goggles with a crooked smile and my chest suddenly felt tight. His neck and shoulders felt good against my skin, warm and smooth, looking oiled in the rain. As it cascaded down on us and continued to soak us to the core, gratitude and appreciation filled me. For the first time in a while, I felt safe. Strange that it happened to be in the arms of a known murderous convict, but in our situation it made perfect sense.

"Thank you, Riddick."

He glanced down at me, almost surprised. Something told me he wasn't used to being thanked or appreciated. "Don't say that yet. We're all still on this rock. Everyone teamed up on the cells and they should be ahead of us somewhere around here, and then it's skiff city."

As if listening, the creatures cried out from their vigil around us. Climbing over each other they grappled on the edge of light and blackness as they followed our light and scent. Their slippery skin glistened, making them look more like a mass of huge squirming worms than monsters with vertebrae. Every once in a while they would raise their long sinuous tails above their heads and shake the barbed ends, producing a soft rattling sound. My guess was that they had sensors on the ends and shaking them was another way to sense where potential prey was, by feeling the air.

 _Do we smell nice?_ I thought bitterly.

A cool blue glow suddenly appeared around a small bend. We had entered the canyon that led to the settlement and the group was waiting nervously for us. Fuck, we were there already? He had only been carrying me for maybe ten minutes, fifteen tops. Half of me was purring at the feel of his body against mine and didn't feel too keen on letting go. His even breaths against me were soothing and his scent felt like it was buzzing around my head, making me feel hazy. Sensation was only just beginning to return to my legs and I wasn't even sure if I could stand yet, let alone continue on this hellish journey.

"Damn, they didn't get far," Riddick muttered, seeming to mirror my thoughts. Before I realized it, he had veered off from our route towards a large scattering of rocks that lay just beyond the vision of the group. The sharp boulders weren't sheltered from the rain and I could understand no possible reason for him doing this – we were still surrounded and the creatures trilled to each other, only deterred by the red light emitting from the two flares.

With a gentleness that surprised me, he set me down against an inclined edge of rock as if he were laying flowers. He held me in place with one strong hand on my hip and the other where my neck and shoulder met, holding my head up against the wet slab behind me. My body felt like it was slowly turning to rubber, but I knew it wouldn't last long. The rain poured down our faces in streams as he leaned towards me.

"How you doin', kid?" his voice rumbled. _Just peachy._ I couldn't see his eyes; the goggles he wore for protection smothered their shine.

"Take off your goggles and I'll tell you," I said through the torrent of rain. I thought he wasn't going to do it; that obeying a request like that was beneath him. Maybe he'd give me that famous smirk and cock his head to the side, making light of me, then follow with a witty jab. But then he raised his hand from my hip and pulled the goggles off.

Amid the red light radiating from his shoulders, his silver violet eyes met mine and stared at me unblinking. Wanting an answer. The energy emitting from his body surged around him like loyal animals, nipping at my skin, making me twitch. The shudder that was building in my shoulders yearned for release but showing weakness wasn't something I was used to doing. My own fiery eyes burned in my skull I and tried to ignore the way his hands felt on me, hot and heavy.

"You could have asked…how I was doing at any point," I uttered. "Why stop now when we're so close to the group?" The statement broke for a moment as the numbness tickled at my throat. It wasn't lost on Riddick, whose eyes dashed over my face as I hesitated. Shit, I guess actions do speak louder than words.

"As I said before," he growled, and I felt him press his body against mine, enough that we were almost nose to nose. "I've been meaning to catch up with you alone…unrestrained." No way was I looking away from this perfect view, baby. The rain ran down his face in rivulets, tiny pristine rivers over sun-kissed earth. _Don't look at his lips. Don't look at his lips_. My eyes darted down to those perfect curved bastards and that was all the invitation he needed.

Like a predator going for easy prey, he merely had to tilt his chin up and capture my lips with his. They were soft, like lips that hadn't been kissed for far too long. A visible tremor of pleasure ran through him and I knew he could tell I enjoyed it. Hungrily he pressed me back into the slick stone while slipping a hand up my neck to cradle the back of my head. For all his intensity it seemed he also possessed a softer side of equal power, one that was currently making my heart pound against my ribs.

I hadn't realized I was gripping his waist as if he were a life raft (technically he was) until he had closed that tenuous distance and kissed me. Okay, so I hadn't gotten laid in about two years – tell me about it – and the gentle way his mouth moved with mine under the driving rain made me wonder if we could get away with it just yards from the group. Gah! This guy was just driving me insane, especially in this particular situation we were all in. A small amount of sense seeped into my lust-crazed mind and I realized getting down and dirty amongst a swarm of carnivorous reptile beasts really wasn't the best plan.

The tip of his tongue swept across my lower lip and the thought fluttered away like a bird finding freedom.

"Riddick! Are you there? Did you find Xen? Riddick!"

Jack's call sounded, slightly muffled, through the downpour. It broke us apart with a gasp and Riddick looked over his shoulder towards her voice. I used the opportunity to follow the bold lines of his neck and shoulder, accentuated by the rain, wishing I could run my lips along them. He looked back at me with a smirk.

"Everyone's out to save your ass and I'm trying to get a little of it," he grinned with that mouth as his eyes sparkled.

"Let's just save everyone's asses and then we can talk," I replied, thanking whoever it was up there that I sounded cool and collected, while inside my apparently fifteen year old self was jumping around and squealing. Fireworks and confetti in the background, of course. Not too often to you get to engage in a breathtaking kiss on an alien planet in the rain while surrounded by flesh-eating enemies, and I've gotta tell you the feeling is awesome.

XXXX

The settlement was in sight. After Riddick had delivered me back to the group to much relief and joy, especially on Imam and Jack's part, he carefully transferred me to the care of Frye and Imam and again took up carrying the cells in the cart. There had been questioning looks and an inquiry from Frye as to where Johns was, but Riddick said nothing and all I did was shake my head and avoid their eyes. At some point I would tell them what happened, I would explain everything. But it wasn't now; we had a world to escape from and endless creatures that were actively trying to prevent us from doing that. Luckily it hadn't been long before the canyon cleared without incident and through the blackness, its exit came into view once again.

"It's a straight shot to the skiff through the interior," Frye called out as she assisted me. Riddick's pace had quickened as the buildings came into view and everyone's hope was recovering. "It'll take a while for the systems to adapt to the cells; the bay door was already open when we got there and it won't close until they do."

Everyone's face lost a bit of color and the sounds around us seemed to get louder. Aaand hope shot to shit again. The bay doors had to remain open? The glowing blue light of Frye's neon tube shone into the shadows at the nearest group of creatures. They hissed and snarled at the light, claws and teeth flashing. The small skiff was protection, sure, but sooner or later these fuckers were going to get brave again and attack with abandon, light or no light. In fact I was surprised no one had been offed when Riddick had gone back to rescue me; they had been left very vulnerable especially having to carry the cells by themselves, but they had done it. A part of me knew that we would live to see this planet disappear behind us like a painful memory, and I just hoped it was soon.

We made our way through the buildings, careful to shine a light around every corner. Movement surged just beyond our line of sight, keeping the adrenaline fresh in our veins. Feeling was returning to my limbs and realized I could walk unassisted again. With a thankful nod I allowed Frye to release me and she did so ensuring I would be okay to stand on my own.

The blue tubes entwined around us were beginning to fade as we continued. Jack looked up at me fearfully as her own setup began to flicker and my blood ran cold. The power source Riddick was carrying along with the cells was failing and I didn't know how long we had left until the entire rig went dark; the thought made my throat dry. Everyone else was noticing the same thing and tension was rippling through the group. The clicks and calls of the creatures grew louder still at our distress and dying light.

"It's just around the corner!" Frye shouted in relief.

That's when the sickening sound of crunching bones broke through the air like a gunshot.


	8. Chapter Eight

Suleiman, Imam's oldest, had his neon tubes heaped around his ankles while he dangled above them like an obscene marionette. The rain was pouring down over his face and he blinked through stunned eyes as he looked down. A long gray claw protruded from his chest, glistening dark with blood. The scent sliced through the air with a coppery tang. A moment passed where he looked up at us all with a merely confused expression as if he was wondering why we were staring at him in utmost horror, and then he was swept away into the darkness without a sound.

The night then erupted into excited shrieks and roars from the creatures and cries of fear and anguish from the group. Imam fell to his knees with a strangled wail, his outstretched hands empty. _There goes another one,_ the thought flashed unbidden in my mind and I instantly regretted it. I wanted to comfort him but he was on the opposite site of the cart which meant I would have to take off my light tubes. It wouldn't be a wise idea. Another came into my head and I didn't deny it; his god had witnessed this and done nothing; two of his boys were now dead with the remaining one being extremely vulnerable and likely to be targeted. What kind of a god was that?

As I stared at everyone, their actions seemed to be in slow motion; grief and fear was etched onto all the faces I could see as those nearest reached for each other. Jack, who was closest to me, grabbed my arm and clung desperately, saying something that didn't register. I barely felt it…if I were in Imam's position my faith would be crumbling like ruins; to be this close to the ship and suffer another loss was awful. Tears of shock and sadness stung my eyes but this was not the time to let them fall. Shaking my head, the world came back into focus and I grasped Jack's hand.

"Don't worry, I've got you."

Frye, who was closest to Imam, ran to him and gripped his shoulders.

"Imam…I - "

"We have to keep moving," Riddick interjected. "This light is gonna die soon and I want four walls around me when it does."

He was poised looking over his shoulder with the cart straps digging into his skin. Looking like a huge off-duty lumberjack sans the beard, his muscles bulged with the effort of the cart and rain washed over his skin like oil. His voice was hard and low; it was obvious he didn't have time to care about the sudden tragedy. Those lips were a hard line and even through his goggles his stare was determined. The weight was beginning to take a toll on him and I reveled in noting that it took almost an hour and a half of running while carrying a heavy load to even slow him down. That Furyan blood was potent.

"Godammit Riddick, he just lost another son –" Frye began through gritted teeth.

"Do you think _they_ care about that?" Riddick roared, not needing to gesture to the creatures that swarmed around us, invigorated and encouraged by the fresh kill. Their calls filled the air like a group of terrible birds as they used the buildings for cover. Flashes of gray could be seen darting from structure to structure, flanking us, _hunting_ us. Just waiting for another opportunity where one of us fucked up or they got a lucky shot.

Frye gave him a scathing look but said nothing. She helped Imam to his feet and then retrieved Suleiman's light tubes with shaking hands. They were spattered with blood.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered as Imam took them, looking at the glowing lights as if he still couldn't believe what had just happened. Ali, the youngest, held fistfuls of Imam's robes with a deathly grip and fearful eyes. I sincerely hoped he would live to get off this planet, along with Jack. They were both just children and didn't deserve to be in the midst of such devastation.

Riddick turned, seemingly having wasted enough time on grieving, and resumed pulling the cart. Jack looked up at me, tears brimming in her eyes, but then wiped her face on her sleeve and took up her position behind the cart again. If we were in a better situation I would have knocked her on the shoulder with a grin at her bravery, but those monsters were still out there and they were getting braver too. Jack was another obvious target for them as she was still bleeding and fearful. Both scents hung around her like perfume and I knew the monsters were following it like a signal. Shifting my position slightly, I made sure that if a creature tried to attack her it would have to go through me first, and peered into the darkness with narrowed eyes through the rain.

"Oh my god, there's the skiff!" Shazza yelled, pointing ahead of us and to the right. Hope flooded me at her words and I couldn't help the smile that stretched over my face. There it sat in the dark, waiting for us. The shitty six-seater never looked so beautiful, with its tattered wings and chipped hull.

The group sounded their delight and relief and Jack laughed, punching the air. Despite his recent loss Imam raised his head to the dark heavens and murmured a prayer of thanks, tears still fresh on his cheeks. Paris gave a nervous laugh and took another swig of wine in celebration while Shazza and Zeke clutched hands happily. We had reached it! If we could just outlast the creatures for as long as it was going to take to adapt the cells, we were home free.

We had approached the ship from the front and Riddick was careful to give it a wide berth as we made our way around it, not willing to risk another attack from hiding enemies. He had done nothing but keep moving at its rediscovery, intent only on installing the cells and getting off-world. Not that I could blame him. What we saw on the other side however, where the bay door sat wide open, made my blood turn cold.

The interior of the ship was filled with creatures. They cowered and balked at the light as we approached, screaming at us with triangular mouths full of deadly teeth. There were at least a dozen in the skiff, snapping at each other and scrambling to hide from our glow. More of them appeared atop the craft, snarling down at us with wings stretched. More yet were closing in around us from all sides, perhaps sensing their time was short to grab a late-night meal. Barbed tails began snaking their way across the sand towards us, contracting and coiling at our light but not retreating.

"Watch your feet!" I yelled, and everyone hastily withdrew around the cart. We had another ongoing problem; our light source was still fading, and fading fast. The intensity of the blue was not nearly as strong as when we first set out and a couple of individual setups had started flickering. Riddick turned back to the group as his own unit began to sputter.

"No one's afraid of the dark, are they?"

Jack gulped.

"We need a plan. How are we going to get into that ship?" Frye said desperately. Her own blue eyes were still bright and I could tell her survivor mode was kicking in. Either we would find a way or we would die, and it looked like she was planning on the former. Looking around, I realized that time was dwindling quickly and I had only one option if we were going to get off this planet.

"I can ghost a few, but not that many," Riddick said evenly. "And I'm not about to jump into that thing with only you guys to cover me."

"If you'll all trust me," I began, giving him a serious look, "this is going to sound weird but it might save our lives."

Everyone looked at me expectantly and my throat ran dry.

"If three men stand together, I can use your combined energy to form a shield around us long enough that we can get in the skiff and power the cells. It must be male energy; female energy won't work. It won't kill you but I'm not going to lie, it'll fucking suck-"

"I volunteer!" Paris said instantly, his spectacles askew. "I made it a note to die in France, and that's where I'll die, dammit! No bloody monsters in the dark are going to take that away for me so count me in!"

Frye looked incredulous.

"You've had this special power the entire time and just mention it now?"

"It's not something I can just conjure at any time, it takes massive amounts of energy and multiple people willing to go through with it," I explained. "We can only do it successfully in the direst of circumstances. Three willing males are needed and our desires must all be the same; in this case, getting the fuck off this rock."

"Won't argue there," Zeke muttered.

I paused before continuing. "Your energy will be siphoned through me and outward, expanding to create a shield of pure energy that can repel anything we want, but only for a short time. Then hopefully you pass out and wake up later with a headache," I finished meekly.

"Oh jolly good, I'm right comforted by that," he retorted, crossing his arms. "And have you ever done anything like this before?"

I pressed my lips together and shook my head.

"Of course you haven't. Just our luck. Ah well, might as well die having my energy sucked out than having my guts ripped out. I'm in," he finished dully. Shazza gaped at him in disgust but didn't disagree.

"Thank you," I said humbly. "Any other volunteers?" I glanced over at Riddick, who remained stoic and silent. His vibrant Furyan energy would make this a breeze but I had the suspicion that he wasn't going to volunteer his energy for anyone; he knew someone else would take his place. Offering up becoming vulnerable and weak wasn't something he was about to do willingly. I wondered if he would die before letting that happen.

As we expected, Zeke and Imam stepped up and nodded their affirmations. Imam's smile trembled as he looked at me and clasped my hands in his own dry ones.

"Our lives are in your hands, young one," he murmured. "May Allah look down on us with kindness."

"I hope so," I replied with a small smile. Didn't really think that it would protect against monsters waiting to rip us to shreds, but I kept the thought to myself.

"This is safe enough right?" Shazza asked skeptically as Zeke got into place beside Imam. Her face was illuminated by the flickering blue glow, uncertainty painted on it. I wanted to laugh and scoff. Safe? Of course this wasn't safe.

"It's not safety, it's survival," I replied darkly. "Plus, do you really want to debate this right now?"

She didn't say more.

Paris joined Zeke and Imam and got into place, standing behind me while I faced the ship. I was suddenly very aware of the sensations around me; the sand beneath my feet was soft and yielding and despite the horrors surrounding us, the warm breeze on my face and neck was quite nice. Riddick's scent suddenly caught my attention and I looked over at him.

His goggles were off his eyes and he was looking at me with an expression I hadn't seen before. It was a mixture of faith and concern; he believed I could do what I claimed but at the same time was worried for my wellbeing. What kind of convict gets himself all worked up over a reaper he just crash-landed with? One that's softer than he portrays on the outside, that's what. The thought made me smile and I looked at him with reassuring eyes.

"Ready to get outta here?"

A rare grin split his face, making his eyes twinkle.

"Show me what you got."

At my command the men placed their hands on my shoulders and tried to stay calm. The noise from the creatures was almost deafening now; they knew the lights were going out and were impatient to feed again. The ones in the ship knew we were about to do something and had their tails raised at the ready.

"You're going to feel a jolt," I called over my shoulder. "Just don't let go of me. When the shield is formed we're going to move forward and into the ship - "

"Wait I'm sorry, not sure I heard correctly, you said we're going _into_ the ship? _Right now?_ " Paris sputtered, his jittery hand atop my left shoulder. His spectacles were still askew. Perhaps he had abandoned trying to keep them straight.

"Xen," Riddick said slowly.

"Once the creatures feel the intensity of the energy they'll want to flee," I explained, hearing his low voice but wanting to explain to Paris. "Then once we're in the cabin we just have to stand by the door and keep the energy flowing until the cells are adapted."

"Ah, I see. Very well," Paris said, deflating a little.

"Xen!" Riddick shouted, and I turned to face him.

"What?!"

" _Get that ass moving!_ "

I turned to the power source on the cart with wide eyes. Our lights were going out in sputters; it would only be moments before we were all plunged into complete darkness. Screaming filled my ears and I didn't know if it was from the creatures or people from the group. I felt shifting air around me and leathery wings filled my vision.

"I hope you're ready," I breathed, and closed my eyes.


	9. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

Silence was all around me, save for a steady vibrating hum that seemed to come from my core. My body was no longer that of a reaper but now the shape of a humanoid made of light. I was floating adrift in a world of rippling energy, energy that held color like iridescent clouds. It was beautiful. Gazing upward, I saw a fountain of shimmering power cascade up from my body and form umbrella-like around us. Like some kind of heavenly bubble it surrounded the group in a dazzling orb.

Zeke, Imam, and Paris's energy washed through me, purifying and cleansing. They were standing behind me, expressionless. Their hands seemed to be magnetically attached to my shoulders and their eyes were wide and filled with light. Their bodies pulsed with power. It seemed to soar through every cell in my body and awaken me from in the inside out, much stronger than a normal feed. With three people I felt as if I had somehow flipped a switch to overdrive.

Hearing slow muffled voices I looked around and saw the energy forms of the people of the group, bright and palpitating. My vantage point was different than normal. I seemed to be slightly elevated a couple of feet above everyone as if I were hovering. Didn't bother me much, the sensation was amazing.

Each form was different with its own unique color blends and I could separate them into their individual personas. Jack, who was standing beside me, was a vivid orange figure not unlike a scan from a thermal imaging unit. She emitted powerful youthful energy but it was dampened by fear that crept around her edges like a shadow. Shazza's was a turbulent fuchsia and Frye's was a radiating yellow. They all burned brightly with the hope of escape.

"She's…floating," Jack's voice swam through the air. "Do you think it's working?"

"Well we're not dead, so she must be doing something," Shazza murmured back. Their voices sounded like they came from a dream and a flicker of perplexity swam in my mind. Couldn't they see what I saw? The glistening power all around them?

Twirling violet forms above me caught my attention. It was the creatures. They swarmed around us, flapping wings that trailed energy like smoke. The intense power I was emitting prevented them from coming near us; they couldn't penetrate my shield but they were trying. Like disoriented birds flying into a window, they smashed into it but were deflected every time. Their cries were muted from within the field, sounding more like ghosts than monsters.

Feeling a surge of familiar energy I focused on Riddick to my right. His signature was huge and imposing, a deep crimson. Like electric fire it shifted in spot, akin to a hungry predator anxious for a kill. It called out to me, a pulse that made me want him like I had never known before. Taking a dip in that energy pool would be bliss but I didn't have time to indulge myself.

Facing the skiff I imagined leading the group up the ramp but then something incredible happened.

The group, cells included, was suddenly _inside_ the ship, standing on its grated metal floor as if transported by magic. The dozen or so creatures inside were blown out the bay door as if by an explosion. The sound was booming and vibrated like a shock wave, resounding in our bones. Outside blue blood and gore rained down on the swarm that had gathered around the skiff. They shrieked at the noise and slaughter and recoiled only to start devouring what was left of the few that had just been expelled. _Waste not,_ I thought _._

The sudden arrival into the ship passed normally for me as if I did that kind of thing on a daily basis but I heard the sounds of shock and awe from the group as it happened. Frye swore loudly and fell over, bringing Shazza with her while Jack gave a laugh of amazement. Zeke, Paris, and Imam were still behind me, floating, unmoved by the transition. Riddick composed himself and cracked his neck and shoulder.

"Nice trick."

My energy shield rippled and shone, creating a convex barrier just outside the opening of the skiff. I was pleased my plan was working; we might actually have a shot at this thing! However, the creatures had already begun to claw and ram it, still desperately wanting our blood. I knew they could never get inside as long as I could hold the field but I didn't know how long my support trio was going to last.

 _Get moving on the cells,_ I called, but the words only sounded in my head.

"Find a flare," Riddick ordered, and his words confused me. Why did they need a flare? Burning, vibrant energy was exploding all around them from the shield. It was soaring up in an iridescent fountain through our four glowing bodies and dancing outwards in shimmers of color. The interior of the ship was brightly exposed by the shifting light; I could easily see the seats, cockpit, controls, everything. Illumination should not be a problem.

"It's too dark, I can't see anything!" Jack cried directly behind me, contradicting my thoughts.

"She saves our asses but can't manage a bloody light - "Shazza began.

Suddenly the crackle of a red flare burst to life. Riddick handed it to Jack who took it joyfully, and he quickly began the process of inserting the large cells into their respective cavities set into the metal walls. Shazza and Frye started lifting the cells together as well, eager to assist in the newly birthed light. Confusion still gripped me as to why they needed the flare but I didn't have time to ponder. I was beginning to feel a drain on the three men as if I were slowly and steadily siphoning their energies dry. If I continued there was the possibility of killing them and I definitely wasn't going to risk that.

As if on cue I lurched unexpectedly and the energy shield faltered for a moment. The bubble-like barrier over the entrance flickered like a busted screen and one of the creatures managed to get its head through before it closed again. The unfortunate beast was swiftly decapitated as if by a laser. Its head hit the metal ramp with a heavy thud and blue blood began to pool.

Jack screamed and Shazza gripped her hand.

 _We need to hurry, I can't hold the shield for much longer_ , I tried to call again, but just like the first time the words only echoed in my head like useless thoughts.

"Don't get your panties in a knot, that's the last cell," Riddick rumbled, sliding the last heavy metal tube into its slot. It locked into place with a satisfying clunk and the ship's interior lit up with green light. Wait, did he _hear_ me?

"Hey, I wasn't complaining," Frye said, surprised. He just smirked and shook his head, moving towards the cockpit to perform systems check and get the bay door closed. In the small interior of the skiff his body seemed massive; he had to duck slightly to move anywhere. My mind was reeling; how could there be any possible way he heard me? No one else replied to me while I tried to speak, only Riddick.

As his hands confidently flew over the controls and gears of the control panel near the front, I heard the rumbling of the skiff's engine and almost cried from relief. This hunk was still useable! Electrical beeps and whirrs filled the small space and the cabin lights came on in cautious flickers. The vehicle was starting to hum and vibrate as it drew power from the cells, hungry for the fuel.

I heard the others rejoicing around me and wished I could join them, but I was expending massive quantities of energy trying to keep the shield stable and I needed to focus. The men behind me weren't going to last much longer if I wanted to keep them alive, but everyone was going to be in trouble if the field fell before the door was closed. While they worked behind me I was facing the open door and the creatures beyond, watching them with cautious eyes. They were piling up over themselves against the glistening barrier, clawing and biting to find purchase. Their blind heads bashed into it and they drew their own blood. If the shield faltered again at least a few would manage to get inside and my stomach turned at the thought.

I never thought I would compare Riddick's voice to a ray of sunshine in a storm but there it was.

"Door's ready to close; we're getting the fuck outta here," it sounded. His heavy footsteps sounded behind me and stopped when he reached the still floating trio. Even with the three men's energies flowing through me I could still sense his, a heady redolence that made me want to sigh.

"Everyone back up. Xen, keep that shield up for me a little longer."

 _Just hurry_ , I thought.

Reaching up, he pulled a metal handle above his head and with a deep clanking the wide metal ramp began to rise. The rest of the survivors backed up as far as they could within the skiff, their anxiety sweeping over me. Frye ushered Shazza and Jack behind them, along with Ali. Riddick stayed put.

The creatures scrambled over each other as the ramp rose, some falling off the edges. The decapitated head rolled off with a sickening clunk and some fought viciously over it. With some deep predatory knowing they sensed that their last chance at a meal that didn't involve cannibalism was drawing close. They screeched and raked at the field desperately.

When the ramp had reached just over halfway closed (skiff liked to take its sweet-ass time) the three men hovering behind me suddenly started jerking and shaking as they floated behind me. _No, they're dying_ , I thought. _I simply cannot hold this any longer_. With a snap of my mind I dropped them to the floor. The remaining energy left me in a deep exhale and I saw it disperse outward like an oily bubble bursting as I fell lightly to the ground as well. The shield was gone. Our defense was now only ourselves. _We can do this._

Now devoid of the brilliant illumination, I saw the skiff as the others were seeing it; filled with red light from the sparking flare. It shone on the faces of the scared women and kids and highlighted Riddick as he turned towards me.

"Stay in the light," he uttered.

Three smaller creatures managed to wriggle through the opening of the ramp. The others were crushed as the ramp ascended and locked into place, their severed limbs falling to the floor of the skiff and twitching grotesquely. Riddick tackled one immediately, grabbing its long bony protrusions with a growl and forcing it to the ground. He swiftly slit its throat with the bone shiv he slid from its sheath on his hip. Brilliant blue blood spurted over his arms and chest and spattered the inside of the skiff like paint.

The other two came at me like savage wolves.

Jack and Ali screamed in terror while Frye and Shazza moved bravely forwards to drag Zeke, Imam, and Paris out of harm's way.

For a moment that only lasted a second in real time, I entered the spirit realm in a swift breath. It was like moving underwater. Everything was in slow motion; colors shifted to vivid purples and blues and the action around me slowed until it was as if I were moving through a tableaux. Power flushed within me, allowing me to move freely within this plane because of the huge intake of fresh life force. With one hand and a furious yell, I gathered a disc of pure energy in my palm and flung it at the first creature's head just as time sped back up to normal.

The disc flew through its skull and it disintegrated instantly. Jack gave out a cry of amazement. The energy dispersed, sending sparks shooting through the craft. The rest of the creature's body fell to the grated floor and oozed gore, convulsing.

The other leapt on me, its sharp claws piercing both my shoulders. Distantly I heard my name being called but I couldn't tell from whom. Groaning at the pain, I saw my blood bloom from under its talons. I gripped the sides of its bony head and held it away from me with elbows locked; no way was I going to be ended by this fucker. Its breath was warm and putrid as it struggled to take a bite out of my face. Of all the gross beasts to be trapped with, this was one of the more unpleasant ones.

Both of us snarling, the creature managed to pin me to the floor. Its pointed maw was just about to do some damage when it shrieked in pain and whipped around. Riddick had slammed his shiv into its tail near the base, into the thick muscle. His arm was steadily being coated in warm blue blood and he was looking up at it fiercely. That violet gaze turned to me.

"Does not know who it's fuckin' with," he said dangerously. I could have kissed him. Gripping the shiv, he pulled the squirming monster off me and it ripped its claws out of my flesh. Turning round to attack, it snapped its dripping jaws and lunged for Riddick who smirked, crouched and ready.

Suddenly its abdomen exploded in a shower of bone matter and intestines and it fell to the ground, writhing. Its jaws opened and closed repeatedly before finally ceasing to move.

Both Riddick and I looked round in surprise. Jack was standing and wielding a large plasma gun, the end still glowing slightly from the heat. Even she looked amazed that she had just done something of that magnitude and gave a shaky smile.

"Guess we're good to go now, right?"


	10. Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

Riddick helped strap me into the passenger seat, careful to work around my quickly healing wounds. They stung but were closing fast, a perfect distraction from the feel of him being so close. Despite being covered in alien blood he was still damn sexy.

My body felt limp from all its recent exertion but energized from the fresh feed, a confusing sensation that I wasn't familiar with. My hair was plastered to my face and neck and I was speckled in blue blood. My own coursed a gruesome trail down my front and if I could wish for anything at that moment it would have been a hot shower. A very hot one. Definitely involving the individual currently strapping me in.

The red takeoff light in the cabin was alight above Riddick's head, bathing him in crimson and showing his reflection in the large cockpit windows that were being spattered with fresh rain. In my haze I wondered at it; I didn't think a desert world like this was capable of something so resplendent. The whole scene seemed surreal. Having someone secure me in my seat was strange but my body was on overdrive and any reprive from movement was greatly appreciated. I eyed him as he worked, feeling his hands over me. I know we were escaping and everything, but _damn_. The sensation of his presence was overwhelming at this proximity and if I leaned just a little closer -

His fingers slipped in blood as he buckled me in and he uttered a low curse, eyes lowered at his task. Smiling, I reached out and touched his face with my fingertips. The skin beneath my fingers was fiery.

He looked up and caught my gaze with mirrored eyes. This guy had escaped a slam only to be caught by a sleazy merc whose only desire was to sell him to the highest paying system; then survived a severe crash on a world where every moving thing in the dark wanted to devour him. We had just crossed a desert of death, losing people along the way. We were on the cusp of finally escaping to sweet salvation and he was actually spending time making sure I was securely in my seat before we took off. How fucking sweet was that?

"Didn't peg you as the caring type," I meant it to sound stronger but the words drifted out in a whisper. I hoped they didn't sound disingenuous. One of those smirks of his dashed across his face and lit up his eyes.

"And I didn't expect a single thing you just did back there, either. Why don't we just call each other unpredictable and get the fuck outta here?"

"That's the best idea I've heard all day," I replied with a twinge; my shoulders were still aching. His eyes drifted over my body and he leaned in almost involuntarily as if he couldn't help himself. Catching my stare, he seized my lips in a hard kiss. How this guy managed to escape several slams, lead the hard life of a convict, and still have lips this unbelievably soft was beyond me.

Breaking apart far too soon, he hovered over my lips before leaving for his own seat. I wanted to groan at the loss of contact but we needed to get off-world if there was any chance of us getting together at all. Plus the need to see this guy naked was getting intolerable.

The rest of the group was strapped into the back and waiting. The seats were a little more than wanting; yellow padding was starting to squeeze through rips in the faded fabric and the belts were weathered but hey, they were seats in a ship that worked and that's all that mattered. Everyone looked shaken but prepared.

Ali was buckled in on Jack's lap as there weren't enough seats for everyone; Paris, Zeke, and Imam were in the other three, slumped down slightly but still secure. They were completely unconscious but alive and that's all I could ask for. I wasn't worried that we were over capacity by three; two of us were less than ninety pounds and we had zero baggage if you didn't include the corpses of the creatures that were still in the back, stinking. Frye and Shazza were content with strapping themselves as well as they could to the wall and holding on.

"Still can't believe you blew that bloody beast apart with that plasma shooter," Shazza said, nudging Jack. She was secured beside the children's seat, her smile tired but genuine. "Didn't know this jumper had any."

Jack, who seemed at ease now knowing she had a ward to look after, smiled back just over Ali's head.

"It was hanging out of the gun rack behind a seat, no one noticed," she shrugged. "Guess I got lucky."

Hearing their conversation, I smiled.

Riddick climbed back into his seat at the helm, goggles on and looking intensely determined. His fist curled around the launch handle, ready to get us into the sky. He turned to me and raised his eyebrow.

"You ready for this shit?"

"Let's say goodbye to these fucking things," I replied through gritted teeth, and looked out the dark window where the creatures were beginning to pile up against the skiff. Their rain-slicked skin glistened in the launch lights and they bared long teeth. Eyes wide, I gripped the seat's mangy arm rests tightly.

Riddick swiftly pulled down the acceleration lever. The back engines ignited in a loud roar and a strong vibration filled the ship. I heard Jack make a noise of exclamation at the rumbling but it was soon drowned out by the sound of screaming monsters. Their shrieks echoed through the night as they were engulfed in the plasma jets, the last sounds we would ever hear from this hellish place. I closed my eyes and said an inward prayer for those who died here, even misguided Johns, and braced myself for takeoff.

With a bright blue surge the modest craft took off boldly into the dark, shucking off creatures as they clung to the hull like bats. For a few seconds the sounds of their claws scraping against the ship filled the cabin and Jack cried out in panic. She needn't worry though; we entered the upper atmosphere with a slightly nerve-racking rattle and everything became silent.

As the ship broke orbit I knew we were leaving behind a species that would inevitably cannibalize itself into extinction. They probably didn't have long; I doubted they would survive the next eclipse. The thought made me feel just a little sorry for them, but as we shot off into the direction of New Mecca the thoughts fell away like rain and a deep ache was beginning to fill me.

I realized the men's energy was wearing off like a fast-hitting, short-lasting drug. My body felt like a battery quickly running out of juice and the seat I was in was beginning to feel really comfortable. Sinking lower into the oozing cushion, I gazed out the large window. Our new sky was now one filled with countless stars. The eclipsing planets were shrinking behind us like felled titans, leaving all their doom and fate behind. Joy and relief and incredulity filled me and a small smile tugged at my face. We were soaring away; we had done it!

"Hey pretty lady," Riddick's voice rumbled. With what seemed like immense effort I turned my head to him, smiling when I met his eyes and raising an eyebrow.

"Yes?"

"You don't look so hot."

His unique angled face suddenly swam out of focus. Clenching my eyes shut I gave a weak chuckle.

"Guess I'm almost at the end of my rope here."

There was something odd about the skiff; had we stopped? Instead of moving steadily through space it felt as if we were floating. Sounds around me were becoming muffled, coming in and out of range in slow bursts. I was crashing.

"Frye! Get up here and drive," I heard him say. "Keep us on course; this bucket doesn't come with cruise."

I tried to talk but my lips had apparently given up on forming words. A dull distant pounding started behind my eyes and I struggled to keep Riddick in view as he unbuckled himself and came over to me. The movement was something akin to a large cat, powerful and graceful. My eyes slid shut of their own accord as I felt his heavy hands grasp my face. The sensation was remote, far-off. I was sinking into a warm void of black clouds.

And then knew nothing.

XXXX

" _Carrier vessel Longshot to unidentified craft, respond immediately."_

The distorted voice came in through the skiff's intercom, laced with static. Jumping slightly, my eyes flew open.

Through the window I saw the underside of a massive hauler, quite possibly the largest I had ever seen. I was glad I was still strapped into my seat; even sitting and seeing this imposing ship made me unsteady. A homely metallic beast, it was hovering over us like a silent threat, matching our course. Its gray underpanels filled almost our entire view save for a sliver of black at the bottom. This thing was huge and didn't look welcoming. Lines of turrets hidden within recesses in its belly could be seen, their dark deadly eyes a warning. Each was large enough for a person to stand inside. I knew carriers were often well-armed to protect their cargo but this was a little overboard. What the hell were these guys carrying?

"Ah, sleepin' beauty," Riddick rumbled. Ripping my gaze from the ominous sight outside, I turned to look at him. His body was leisurely reclined in his seat but he was gripping the acceleration lever white-knuckled. His strong legs were straddling the controls like he did this kind of thing every day. The pose wasn't dissimilar from riding a motorcycle and even in the midst of this drama I couldn't help but note how ridiculously sexy this man was. I grinned.

"I was…asleep?"

"Good six hours. Didn't peg you for a snorer either," he smirked. "And you've got a nice friendly welcoming party to wake up to."

"They found us so fast, I thought we were in the middle of nowhere," I said.

"Knew our exact location and appeared above us like turnin' on a light. These guys have portal technology."

"W-what should we say?" Jack's cautiously hopeful voice sounded behind me.

"Oh good afternoon, we're a party of nine with a wanted convict as our leader - " Shazza began sarcastically.

"We lie," Riddick cut her off with a growl. He stared at the carrier, tight-lipped with a furrowed brow, all trace of humor gone. The glint of his eyeshine could be seen in the dimly lit interior. What thoughts were coursing through his mind right now? From his face he didn't look relieved at all to see this new player, but thin waves of tiredness were beginning to flow from him. We were all in need of water, food, and proper rest and as daunting as this ship was, it could be our only chance of survival.

" _Unidentified craft, this is the Longshot, respond immediately or you will be boarded._ "

Suddenly his eyes flashed over to mine and caught my gaze like a rabbit in a snare.

"Are you with me, Xen?"

His expression demanded an answer; I had never seen such an intense look on anyone. My eyes alighted and I nodded, ready for anything.

"I'm with you Riddick."

TO BE CONTINUED…


End file.
